


Fallen

by Gallifreyanqueen98



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Aromantic, Asexual Aromantic, Asexual Character, Character Death, Crossposted from Fanfiction.net, Found Family, Gen, LGBTQ Character, LGBTQ Female Character, Mental Health Issues, Original Character(s), POV Original Female Character, Protective Winchesters (Supernatural), Season/Series 03, Season/Series 04, Season/Series 05, Supernatural - Freeform, falling into the show, oc has superpowers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-26
Updated: 2021-02-28
Packaged: 2021-02-28 23:40:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 53
Words: 368,676
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23325640
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gallifreyanqueen98/pseuds/Gallifreyanqueen98
Summary: When an orphan finds herself in the world of her favorite show, she doesn't know what to think. This unexpected trip soon proves to be just what she needs to finally get some answers about her parents and herself. Takes place during seasons 3-5.
Comments: 24
Kudos: 28





	1. Fallen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, real quick for any new readers coming into this story. I've been thinking of rewriting this fic for a while now, especially the earlier chapters. My writing style has changed a lot since I started this fic, and I cringe every time I read the earlier chapters. I'll probably start the rewrite after I mark this fic as complete after season five. To my old readers, don't worry, the fic is not going to be deleted entirely. I'm just going to rewrite the chapters with my current writing style and replace the old chapters with those. Once I start, there will most likely be a quality drop, but it'll be temporary while I work on fixing each chapter up.

**Lawrence, Kansas. April 1989**

A woman paced around a living room, carrying a baby in her arms. She appeared to be in her mid-twenties, tall, with medium-length, dark brown hair, and light brown eyes. The baby was only a few months old, her eyes were still a greyish color, but she had very dark brown hair that went almost down to her ears. Sitting on a couch nearby was a man with curly, blond hair and light blue eyes. The baby’s name was Amelia, the man was her father, Henry, and the woman carrying her was her mother, Jessica. They were a small, but happy family. 

“I think she’s finally asleep,” Jessica whispered. It was around 9 p.m. and she had been trying to get Amelia to sleep for about half an hour. “I’m gonna go put her in her crib.”

Henry nodded, watching his wife walk towards the stairs. As soon as she disappeared up the stairs, he turned back to the paper he had been reading. 

“ _ Henry _ !” A panicked scream echoed through the silent house. Henry threw down his paper and rushed up the stairs.

“Jess!” He ran down the hall towards Amelia’s bedroom. Jess was clutching Amelia close to her, staring fearfully at a man standing at the end of the dimly lit hallway.

"I don't know who you are, but you need to get out of my house right now before I call the cops," Henry fumed. 

The man at the end of the hallway sneered. “Or what?” 

Jessica, who had managed to calm down, quickly handed a now-crying Amelia to Henry. “Take the baby and get out of here,” she ordered. 

Henry took Amelia from his wife and looked at her in surprise. “What? No, I’m not leaving.” 

“I’m not arguing! Get our baby out of here now!” 

Jess pulled out a knife and lunged at the man standing down the hallway. The man flicked his wrist, and she was sent flying back in the opposite direction. 

“You know you can’t defeat me, Jessie,” the man snarled. He flicked his wrist again, and a snap was heard. Jess fell to the floor in a heap, no longer moving. 

“Who...what...what are you?” Henry began backing away, his face twisting with apprehension 

The man blinked, and his eyeballs turned a solid black color, not answering the question. With another flick of his wrist, Henry was thrown back as well, dropping Amelia in the process. The helpless four-month-old was thrown back toward the living room. 

“Amelia!” Henry scrambled to his feet, only to be thrown back again by another invisible force. He watched helplessly as a yellow ring appeared on the ground, sucking everything around it, including Amelia, inside, closing around his four-month-old baby. 

“No!” the demon screamed. 

“Where’s my daughter, you bitch?”

“I don’t need to answer to you,” The demon sneered. With one final flick of his wrist, Henry's neck snapped, and he fell to the floor just like his wife.

* * *

**Los Angeles, California - 16 years later**

Emily had been at the foster home for as long as she could remember. Ms. Claudwell had found her on the doorstep in the middle of the night of July 24th, 1998, which she turned into Emily's birthday. 

The now seven-year-old ran down the hall with her friends towards the TV room. Life at the home wasn't like in the movies where their foster mother made life a living hell. Ms. Claudwell did her best to make sure all the girls felt at home from the moment they got dropped off at the home. She gave them presents every Christmas and birthday, taught them how to read and write, and made sure they had ways to entertain themselves, such as toys, a TV, a computer, and video games. The home even had a pool in the back to swim in during the summer. Each girl had their own bedroom, decorated to their liking. As for Emily, this had been her home her entire life. Seven years of living in the home with five other girls, ages five to fourteen. Her parents didn't leave any note, not even one with her name on it, leading Ms. Claudwell to name her just Emily.

Emily was a small girl for her age. Three feet, five inches and forty-two pounds. Long brown hair that went down to her hips and light brown eyes. She had taken up an interest in drawing and writing recently and could usually be found doing one of the two when she was bored. She also had a secret. One that she and the other girls kept from Ms. Claudwell. 

When Emily was four years old she discovered a secret power that she had. If she wanted to, Emily could make objects move without touching them. After a year or so, she was able to float and make the other kids float as well. Of course, being four years old when she found out, she wasn't that good at the time at keeping it a secret and it wasn't long before the other kids found out. The older kids helped Emily control her powers and keep them a secret from Ms. Claudwell, as they were all afraid of what she might do if she ever found out. It was a bit harder getting the younger kids to keep it a secret as well. Almost all of them wanted to run and tell Ms. Claudwell everything that came to their tiny minds. 

Overall, Emily was a happy kid. She was still waiting to find a family of her own, but she was still hopeful that it would happen soon. 

* * *

**Los Angeles, California - 10 years later**

The now seventeen-year-old Emily watched as another family walked out with three-year-old Alex, who was beaming ear-to-ear. Emily slowly turned around and headed back to her room. She was going to be turning eighteen in two months and the whole time she had been here, nobody had come to adopt her. Around the age of thirteen, she had begun to give up the hope of ever having a family. Another four years and she had stopped meeting the families that came to the house anymore. Nobody wanted to adopt a teenager, let alone one that was going to be an adult in a couple of short months. She no longer felt motivated to do the things she used to love, like writing or drawing. Her powers had stopped working a few years ago as well. She hadn't been able to get them to work since the day she began losing hope. 

"Emily?" She heard Ms. Claudwell ask from behind her. "I didn't see you downstairs for adoption day. Is everything okay?"

Emily turned around. "Ye-yeah," she lied. "I just wasn't feeling up to it today."

"What's going on?" 

Ms. Claudwell was always someone the girls felt they could talk to about anything, so Emily had no problem opening up. "I just don't see a point in going to those things anymore, okay?"

Ms. Claudwell looked at her for a moment and then gestured Emily into her room. "Talk to me."

"I've been here for seventeen years," Emily sighed. "For seventeen years, I've watched family after family walk in here and leave with either no kid or one of the younger kids. I'm turning eighteen in a couple of months. Nobody is going to adopt me in that amount of time so I just don't see a point in going down there and meeting parents anymore. No one wants a teenager. People would rather adopt a baby or a toddler, or one of the younger kids that they can teach. Not someone who will be an adult soon." She looked up, tears in her eyes. "I'm never going to have a family."

"Sit down real quick." 

Emily did. 

"Emily, I know these past few years have been hard on you. You used to be this special, bright, shining kid who could light up a room just by walking into it. You wrote amazing stories and were a fantastic artist. And then one day you just stopped. That gleam faded from your eyes and you just changed. That happy little girl was gone and all I saw in her place was a girl who had lost all hope." 

Not seeing a reason for this speech, Emily asked, "What's your point?" 

"It's not the first time I've seen this. I've watched teenagers start to feel the same way as you are right now, and some of them even got adopted later on. I know there's not much I can do, but I promise it will get better. And one of these days, maybe your powers will come back," Ms. Claudwell smirked.

At that last sentence, Emily looked up in shock. "You knew?"

Ms. Claudwell nodded. "You weren't as good at hiding it when you were younger as you thought." She smiled. "I've known for a long time. I used to love watching you girls dance around in the air as the piano played itself, with all your old toys joining in. It seemed like those were the times that you were happiest."

"Why didn't you say anything? The other girls and I hid it from you because we were afraid of what you might do if you found out. If we had known you knew--" 

"You would have been more open with them around me?" 

Emily nodded. "Yeah." 

"I wanted you to tell me when you were ready." Ms. Claudwell sighed, "but then one day you just stopped using them. I haven't seen anything float around here in years. I miss it."

"I haven't been able to use them in years. I've tried but one day I just woke up and they didn't work. I still have them, I think, they just aren't working." 

"I always thought they were tied to your happiness," Ms. Claudwell observed. "From what I saw, the happier you were, the easier it was for you to use them." 

Emily shrugged. "Yeah, maybe you're right, but the thing is, I don't think I've been happy in a long time. So, if that is it then..." Emily trailed off with a shrug. 

"I've got to go check on the other girls, but if you ever want to talk some more, you know where to find me, yeah?" 

Emily nodded. "Thank you Ms. Claudwell."

* * *

The rest of the day went by pretty normally. A few years back, Emily had discovered the world of fandoms. She had gotten a job at age fifteen and had eventually saved up enough to buy herself a laptop and cellphone, so she could watch her shows and not have to wait for her turn on the TV. It wasn't long before she discovered a show called Supernatural. And it wasn't long after that that she had fallen in love with it. The show only had three seasons when she discovered it, but it was now on its eleventh and had just been renewed for a twelfth.

Emily yawned as she watched the season eleven finale on Netflix for probably the millionth time. She closed her laptop and laid down, finally getting the well-deserved sleep she needed.

* * *

“...okay? ...'llo? Can you hear me?”

  
  
  
  


  
  



	2. All Hell Breaks Loose

"...okay? ...'llo? Can you hear me?"

Emily shot up in a panic. She had been lying on the floor of what looked to be an abandoned building. Moss and weeds were growing through the cracks in the wooden floorboards that she sat on. There were two people in the room with her, and they both looked somewhat familiar, but she couldn't place her finger on who they were.

"What?" Emily looked around. "Where am I?"

"I don't know," a man wearing an army uniform replied. "I just woke up here a minute ago. Same for her." He pointed to a blonde girl wearing black boots, pants, and a leather jacket.

"Hey," Emily waved meekly at the girl, who waved back but didn't reply. "What's going on? Who are you guys?"

"I'm Jake, that's Lily," the man informed her.

"We should try and figure out where we are," Lily finally spoke. "See if there's anyone else here."

Jake led them outside, followed by a slightly-panicking Emily and then Lily in the back.

"Hello? Is anybody there?" He called out. Jake led them around the porch.

"Hello?" A voice called out in reply. The three of them continued in the direction of the voice.

When they reached the side of the house, three more people came running up. Emily recognized one of them instantly.

"Sam?" she whispered to herself.

"Hey!" Sam exclaimed. "Hey, you guys all right?"

"I think so," Jake replied.

"I'm Sam."

"I'm Jake."

"Lily."

Emily raised a hand, "Emily."

"Are there any more of you?" Sam asked.

Jake shook his head. "Naw."

"How did we even get here?" Lily asked. "A minute ago, I was in San Diego."

"Well, if it makes you feel any better, I went to sleep last night in Afghanistan."

"And I was in LA," Emily finished.

"Let me take a wild guess," Sam looked over at the three people on the porch, "you guys are all twenty-three?"

Jake and Lily nodded, but Emily didn't. No one seemed to notice.

"We all are. And we all have abilities."

"What?" Jake asked.

"It started a little over a year ago?" Sam questioned. "You found you could do things? Things you didn't think were possible?"

Jake and Lily nodded.

"I have visions," Sam continued. "I see things before they happen."

"Yeah. Me, too," The girl who had run over with Sam spoke.

The other man with them spoke up. "Yeah, and I can put thoughts into people's heads. Like, make them do stuff. But don't worry, it, I don't think it works on you guys." He took a few steps up to the porch. "Oh, but get this –- I've been practicing. Training my brain, like meditation. So now, it's not just thoughts I can beam out, but images, too. Like, anything I want. Bam! People, they see it." He turned to Sam. "This one guy I know – total dick, right? I used it on him: gay porn. All hours of the day. It was just like … you should have seen the look on his face." He chuckled a little, but no one followed suit. "Uh…okay."

"So, you go, "Simon says give me your wallet", and they do?" Lily asked the man, who nodded. She turned to Sam. "You have visions? That's great! I'd kill for something like that."

"Lily, listen, it's okay," Sam began.

"No. It's not," Lily snapped. She held up a hand. "I touch people? Their hearts stop. I can barely leave my house. My life's not exactly improved. So, screw you. I just wanna go home." She turned around and began to walk away.

"And what, we don't?" Jake asked.

Lily turned back around, pointing a finger at Jake's face. "You know what, don't talk to me like that, not right-"

"Hey, guys, please," Sam interrupted. "Look, whether we like it or not, we're all here, and so we all have to deal with this."

Emily, who hadn't been able to say a word since she introduced herself, was currently leaning up against the wall, hyperventilating as she stared at her shoes. There was no way this was happening. She was dreaming, that had to be it. Sam freaking Winchester was not standing a few feet away from her. If she was somehow inside the show which, how could she be, then this was probably one of the earlier seasons. Probably one she hadn't watched in a long time. Sam, Jake, Lily, and those two other people who Emily didn't recognize were still talking, wondering who had brought them here. Emily gripped handfuls of her hair. She knew those people. Or, one of them anyway. The girl, she wasn't sure about. But the other man, she knew the actor was Gabriel Tigerman, but she couldn't for the life of her figure out his character's name.

"You okay back there?" Emily snapped back to reality when she heard Sam yell something out. She looked up to see all five people looking back at her with worried looks. She looked between their faces, then took a couple of steps back and started running in the opposite direction.

"Emily!" Sam called after her. "Hey!"

Emily ran inside and into a random room, sinking onto the floor. She couldn't stop shaking, clutching the back of her head as she tried to steady her breathing.

The floorboards creaked. "Emily?" she heard Sam ask again. He knelt beside her. "Listen, everything's going to be okay. We're all gonna get out of here, I promise."

"I have to tell you something, but I don't know if you're going to believe me," Emily whispered, lifting her head just slightly.

"Try me."

"I don't think I should be here," Emily whispered.

"Emily, none of us should be here."

"That's not what I meant," Emily shook her head. "Earlier, outside, you were asking us all if we were twenty-three and had abilities that we discovered around a year ago?"

Sam nodded.

"None of those apply to me," Emily admitted. "I'm only seventeen years old. I shouldn't even be here, Sam, and I'm freaking out!"

Sam was silent for a moment. "What about your mom? She's alive?"

"I don't have any parents," Emily admitted, "Been in foster care my whole life."

"That doesn't make any sense though," Sam mused.

"What's going on?" Jake's voice came around the corner as he walked into the room, leading the others.

"Emily here doesn't match any of what I said out there. She's a few years younger than all of us." Sam turned to Emily. "Do you have any abilities?"

"I did," Emily admitted. "When I was little, I was able to move things with my mind, but I lost it a few years ago."

"So then why is she here?" Jake asked.

"I don't know," Sam admitted. "I don't know why any of us are here."

"Who brought us here?" The man (whose name Emily suddenly remembered was Andy) asked.

"It's less of a "who". It's ... more of a "what"." Sam informed them.

"What does that mean?" Ava asked.

Sam paused for a moment. "It's a...it's a demon."

Lily huffed in disgust and turned away.

Sam went on to inform everyone about what was happening. He told them all about monsters and demons. He told them about Azazel, who he referred to as the yellow-eyed demon, and how they had all been chosen to bring on the Apocalypse.

"So, we're soldiers in a demon war to bring on the Apocalypse?" Jake asked as he paced back and forth.

"When you put it like that—"

"And, and we've been picked?" Jake continued.

"Yes," Sam replied.

"Why us?"

"I'm not sure, okay?" Sam admitted. "But look, I just know—"

"Sam, I'm sorry," Ava interrupted. "Psychics and spoon-bending is one thing, but demons?"

"Look, I know it sounds crazy, but—" Sam began.

Jake interrupted, "It doesn't just sound it."

"I don't really care what you think, okay?" Sam snapped. "If we're all gathered here together, then that means it's starting and that we've gotta—"

"The only thing I've gotta do is stay away from wackjobs, okay?" Jake argued. "I've heard enough. I'm better off on my own. FYI, so are you." With that, Jake walked away.

"Jake, hold on. Jake!" Sam called after him. Jake kept walking and Sam sighed.

* * *

A short while later, the five other group members were walking amongst the houses. Emily and Sam were in the lead.

"You sure you don't have any powers?" Sam questioned.

"Like I said, I did when I was little," Emily told the younger Winchester, "but then one day they just stopped working. I think I still have them, but I one day I woke up and it was like they just stopped working."

"What year were you born?"

"1998."

"But that would make you nine years old."

"I think your math's a bit off there Sam. It's 2016 right now."

"Emily, it's 2007."

Emily stopped in her tracks. "That's not possible. When I went to bed last night, it was June 5th, 2016.

"It's April 29th, 2007 right now."

"That's not possible," Emily repeated.

Before anyone could say anything else, they heard Jake yell at something to get back from a nearby schoolhouse. Sam rushed ahead, the others not far behind. He ran into the schoolhouse and disappeared. The others got to the door just as a cloud of black smoke flew out of the room.

"Just so you know?" Sam addressed everyone. "That was a demon." He led them outside. "Now, that thing – I'm not sure, but I think it was an Acheri. A demon that disguises itself as a little girl. That still doesn't tell us where we are." He looked over at Andy, who still looked to be in shock. "Andy, are you with me or what?"

"Give me a minute," Andy squeaked. "I'm still working through, "Demons are real"."

The group walked further down the road, finally coming up on an iron bell with a picture of an oak tree engraved on it. "I've seen that bell before," Sam mused. "I think I know where we are now: Cold Oak, South Dakota. A town so haunted, every single resident fled."

"Swell," Ava said with fake enthusiasm. "Good to know we're somewhere so historical."

"Why in the world would that demon or whatever put us here?" Lily asked.

"I'm wondering the same thing," Sam admitted.

"You know what?" Lily huffed. "It doesn't matter. Clearly, the only sane thing to do here is to get the hell out of Dodge." She turned and began walking away.

"Wait, hold on," Sam stopped her. "Lily, the only way out is through miles of woods."

"Beats hanging out with demons," Lily countered.

"Lily, look, we don't know what's going on yet," Sam told her. "I mean, we don't even know how many of them are out there right now."

"Yeah, he's right. We should—" Jake began.

Lily turned around, pointing a finger at Jake. "Don't say "we"! I'm not part of "we". I have nothing in common with any of you."

Sam tried to calm her down. "Okay, look, I know—"

"You don't know anything!" Lily snapped. She took a deep breath. "I accidentally touched my girlfriend," she admitted.

No one spoke for several moments. They didn't have to ask what had happened. They already knew. Lily had accidentally killed her girlfriend.

"I'm sorry," Sam finally said.

"Whatever. I feel like I'm in a nightmare, and it just keeps getting worse and worse."

"I've lost people, too," Sam told her. "I have a brother out there right now that could be dead, for all I know. We're all in bad shape. But I'm telling you, the best way out of this is to stick together."

"Fine," Lily gave in.

Sam led the group through the town. "We're looking for iron, silver, salt –- any kind of weapon," he told them.

"Salt is a weapon?" Jake asked.

"It's a brave new world," Sam replied.

"Well, hopefully, there's food in your world, because I'm frickin' starving," Andy said as they headed inside one of the buildings.

"Okay, we should split up. Try and find as much salt, iron, or silver as you can find."

Andy headed into the kitchen, while Jake headed into a room past the stairs and Emily herself headed upstairs.

She walked through the rooms upstairs, trying to find anything useful, while fiddling with the anti-possession necklace around her neck.

"You guys! I found something!" Emily heard Andy call from downstairs. She hurried down to meet everyone.

Andy was laughing while holding up two large bags. "Salt!"

"That's great, Andy. Now, we all can…" Sam suddenly stopped, looking around. "Where are Lily and Emily?" He asked.

"I'm right here," Emily spoke from behind Sam on the stairs. "I don't know where Lily is though."

"Lily?" Ava called out.

"Lily!" Sam yelled in a voice that made everyone jump.

A child's giggling voice was heard, and they all headed outside to check it out.

"Oh, my God!" Ava cried. Lily was hanging by a noose on the windmill. "Okay, that's officially — Sam, she's dead! She's dead! You said we were chosen for a reason. That is not chosen! That's killed! Okay, we have to get out of here." She started walking but Sam stopped her.

"Yeah, I second that emotion," Andy agreed,

"Not sure that's an option," Jake admitted.

"What?"

"Lily was trying to leave," Sam told her. "The demon's not gonna let us get away that easy. We've gotta gear up for the next attack."

"Oh, gear up?"

"Yeah."

"Okay, well, I'm not a soldier. I can't do that!" Ava argued.

"Well, if you wanna stay alive, you're gonna have to. Let's go." He turned and walked back to the building.

"I'll get her down," Jake offered.

They stopped in front of the door. Emily headed back inside, while Jake went to find something to get Lily down and Sam stopped to talk with Andy.

She sat on the steps, wondering what to do. A few moments later, Sam and Andy came back inside. Andy looked at her, then back to Sam.

"You sure this'll work?" Andy asked Sam.

"She says she doesn't have any abilities and none of what I was talking about before applies to her. It should."

"Okay." Andy walked up to Emily. "Hey there."

"Hi," Emily said quietly.

"Tell us about yourself." Andy suddenly said.

Emily felt this overwhelming urge to tell them everything. "I'm from Los Angeles, born in 1998. I'm seventeen years old."

"Why do you say you're seventeen if you were born nine years ago?"

"Because for me, it was 2016 yesterday."

"So, what?" Sam asked. "You're from the future?"

Emily nodded. "I think so."

"Tell us more," Andy ordered.

"All of this is a TV show where I'm from," Emily blurted out before she could stop herself.

"What?" Sam asked, stepping forward.

"Tell us about this show."

"It's called Supernatural. It's about Sam Winchester and his older brother Dean traveling around, hunting demons, ghosts, werewolves, vampires, and all other types of monsters. There are eleven seasons of it, but this episode is one of the earlier ones that I haven't watched in a long time, so I don't remember what happens in it." The urge suddenly went away and she bent forward, hands on her head. "Andy?" She looked at the man next to her. "Please never do that again."

"Think she was telling the truth?" Sam asked Andy.

"She had to."

"So, let me get this straight," Sam said. "You're from an alternate universe where my and my brother's lives are a TV show?"

"I think so, yeah," Emily admitted. "I still don't know why I'm here, though."

"That's a good question."

* * *

Later that night, Sam, Andy, Jake, Ava, and Emily were together in a small room. Jake was standing by the doorway, palming an iron rod. Andy was asleep at the table, and Sam, Ava, and Emily were sitting, keeping watch. Emily must have been more tired than she thought though, because the next thing she knew, Andy was shaking her awake.

"Ava's missing," Jake informed them.

"Ava?" Emily called out.

"Ava!"

"Okay, Emily and Andy, wait here in case she comes back," Sam instructed. "Jake and I will go look for her."

Sam and Jake headed outside. Emily leaned against the wall, occasionally peering out the window, while Andy leaned out of the doorway.

Emily walked up to join Andy, and a moment later, they heard a creaking sound by the window. The two of them turned and saw Ava, back to them, facing the window.

"Ava!" Andy greeted. "Where were you? Didn't you hear us yelling?"

Ava turned around. "Yeah, I heard you."

Emily suddenly noticed that the salt line was broken. "Ava, what did you do?" she asked.

Without answering, Ava put her hands on her head. A cloud of black smoke suddenly appeared, forming itself into a little girl. It sped towards Andy, and Emily watched in horror as it ripped him up, killing him. Ava turned to her next, putting her head on her hands again. Emily wasted no time running out of the house.

"Sam!" Emily called after the younger Winchester.

"Emily? What's wrong?"

"It's Ava," Emily panted as she caught up to him. "She's controlling the demon. Sam, she killed Andy."

"Jake!" Sam called out. "We found her, let's go!" The three of them hurried back inside. Jake had the iron bar at the ready.

They found Ava inside, standing next to Andy's body. Jake and Emily stayed behind as an element of surprise while Sam headed into the room.

"How could you?" Sam asked angrily.

"I had no choice," Ava admitted. "It's me or them. After a while, it was easy. It was even kind of fun. I just stopped fighting it."

"Fighting what?" Sam asked.

"Who we are, Sam. If you'd just quit your hand-wringing and open yourself up, you have no idea what you can do. The learning curve is so fast, it's crazy, the switches that just flip in your brain." She laughed. "I can't believe I started out just having dreams. Do you know what I can do now?"

"Control demons," Sam guessed.

"Ah, you are quick on the draw. Yeah, I'm sorry, Sam. But, it's over."

There was silence, and Jake moved to the doorway. Emily followed to see a cloud of black smoke forming in the room again. Jake hurried up, and grabbed Ava, snapping her neck and killing her instantly.

The three remaining group members hurried outside.

"I think we can make it out of here now," Sam told them.

"But the Acheri demon…" Jake began.

"No, no, no." Sam stopped him. "Ava was summoning it, controlling it. It shouldn't come back now that she's dead. We gotta go." They continued walking away from the house.

"Not "we", Sam," Jake suddenly said. "Only one of us is getting out of here. I, I'm sorry."

"What?" Sam questioned.

"I had a vision," Jake admitted. "That yellow-eyed demon or whatever it was, he talked to me. He told me how it was."

"No, Jake, listen. You can't listen to him," Sam argued.

"Sam, he's not letting us go," Jake argued. "Only one. Now, if we don't play along, he'll kill us both. Now, I-I like you, man. I do. But do the math here. What good does it do for both of us to die? Now, I can get out of here. I get close to the demon, I can kill the bastard."

"You come with me," Sam offered. "We can kill him together."

"How do I know you won't turn on me?" Jake questioned.

"I won't."

"He won't."

"I don't know that."

As if just realizing she was there, Jake suddenly lunged forward and grabbed Emily by the throat. His hands tightened up as Emily felt it get harder and harder to breathe.

"Jake, let her go!" Sam yelled as he tried to pull the army man off of the small girl.

Emily struggled to break free. "Please," she gasped. Suddenly, everything went black.

* * *

When Emily came to, Sam was in the middle of punching Jake. Jake swung at Sam, and Sam ducked out of the way, causing Jake's fist to go through a wooden railing. Sam punched and kicked Jake while he was stuck, causing him to go down. He finally picked up the iron bar and knocked him out, breathing heavily as he stood over Jake's unconscious body.

Sam looked at Emily, who was still on the ground. "Come on, get up."

"Sam!" A new voice yelled out.

Sam and Emily both turned to see Dean and Bobby racing up, shotguns in hand.

Sam clutched his arm as he and Emily moved towards the other hunters.

"Dean!" Sam sighed in relief.

Suddenly, Dean's face fell. "Sam, look out!" He yelled, rushing forward.

A moment later, Sam grimaced, dropping to his knees.

"No!" Dean broke out into a sprint.

"Sam!" Emily yelled, trying to catch him as he fell.

Ignoring her, Jake took off running into the woods, as Bobby chased after him.

Dean slid onto the ground next to his brother, taking him away from Emily, who backed away. "No, Sam!" Sam fell forward onto Dean's shoulder as Dean tried to keep him conscious. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, Sam. Sam! Hey! Hey, hey. Come here. Let me look at you."

He placed his hand on the wound, his entire hand covered in blood. "Hey, look at me. It's not even that bad. It's not even that bad, all right? Sammy? Sam!"

Sam's head began to wobble as Dean's voice grew louder. "Hey, listen to me. We're gonna patch you up, okay? You'll be good as new. Huh? I'm gonna take care of you. I'm gonna take you care of you. I've got you. That's my job, right? Watch out for my pain-in-the-ass little brother?" Dean placed a hand on Sam's face and his own face fell. "Sam? Sam! Sam! Sammy!"

Sam's eyes slumped forward, eyes closing. "No. No, no, no, no, no, no. Oh, God. Oh, God. Sam!"

Bobby ran back, shaking his head to say he wasn't able to catch Jake. He slowed to a stop as his eyes fell to Sam.

"Oh my god."

"Bobby, what am I gonna do?" Dean sobbed.

"Let's get him inside, first off. We can stay here tonight, figure out what we're gonna do in the morning."

Bobby suddenly looked at Emily, who was on the ground, looking terrified, as if just noticing she was there. "Hey, hey, it's okay. I'm not gonna hurt ya." The older hunter knelt next to her. "I'm Bobby."

"Emily."

"Why don't you come on inside with us for now? You really shouldn't be out here by yourself in this town."

"Bobby, you can't be serious," Dean argued.

"I am, boy!" Bobby snapped back. Without another word, he picked up Sam's body and headed inside one of the abandoned houses. Emily and Dean followed him inside. Sam was placed on a mattress inside one of the rooms, and Dean immediately went to his side.

They stayed in the abandoned house overnight. Dean refused to leave Sam's side while Bobby and Emily slept on a mattress and couch they had found in other rooms.

* * *

The next morning, Bobby and Emily headed out to get some breakfast.

"So, where you from, girl?" Bobby asked as they drove down the road.

"LA," Emily replied.

"What are you doing in South Dakota?"

"Kinda woke up here a couple of days ago. Along with everyone else."

"Humph," Bobby grunted in response.

They ended up getting a bucket of fried chicken to bring back to the house. When they returned, Dean was standing in the doorway, still watching Sam's body.

"Dean?" Bobby called out as he opened the door. He held up the bucket. "Brought you this back."

"No, thanks. I'm fine."

"You should eat something," Bobby insisted.

Dean walked over to the kitchen table. "I said I'm fine." He picked up a bottle of whiskey and took a swig.

Bobby paused. "Dean... I hate to bring this up, I really do. But don't you think maybe it's time... we bury Sam?"

Dean looked directly at Bobby. "No." He sat down at the table.

"We could," Bobby sighed, "maybe..."

"What?" Dean asked calmly. "Torch his corpse? Not yet."

Bobby leaned forward. "I want you to come with me."

Dean shook his head. "I'm not going anywhere." He leaned forward against the table.

"Dean, please," Bobby insisted.

"Would you cut me some slack?" Dean snapped.

"I just don't think you should be alone, that's all," Bobby admitted. "I gotta admit, I could use your help."

Dean scoffed.

Bobby continued. "Something big is going down – end-of-the-world big."

Dean suddenly turned back to Bobby. "Well, then let it end!" He yelled.

Bobby stared at Dean for a moment. "You don't mean that."

Dean stood back up, getting in Bobby's face. "You don't think so? Huh? You don't think I've given enough? You don't think I've paid enough? I'm done with it. All of it. And if you know what's good for you, you'd turn around, and get the hell out of here."

Bobby stood there, staring at Dean as the hunter turned away from him.

Dean suddenly turned back around, shoving Bobby back. "Go!" Dean paused for a moment. "I'm sorry," he apologized. "I'm sorry. Please, just go."

Bobby sighed. "You know where I'll be." The older hunter turned to Emily. "Why don't you come with me?"

"Uh, yeah," Emily muttered, standing up and following Bobby out to the car.

Bobby and Emily made their way out of the house.

"Sorry 'bout that," Bobby grunted when they were outside. "Just didn't think you should be alone with him when he's like that."

"Thanks," Emily replied. "So, where are we going?"

"Back to my place," Bobby told her as they trudged through the woods. "You can stay with me until we figure out what to do with you."

They finally got to the road, quickly spotting a nearby car. Bobby led her over to it and began to hotwire the vehicle.

"So, how'd you end up here again?" The old hunter asked.

"I don't know," Emily replied. "I went to bed a few nights ago, and the next thing I knew, I was waking up in one of the abandoned houses around here. Sam and a few other people were here as well." She shifted around on her feet. "All I know is we were kidnapped by the yellow-eyed demon," she lied.

Bobby didn't say anything else as they got in the car and drove off.'

* * *

They reached Bobby's house in Sioux Falls a few hours later and Bobby led her inside.

"There's a spare bedroom upstairs you can stay in for now," the older hunter informed her. "You'll need to get the mattress on the bed though. You'll have to clear it out too. I'll be in the junkyard if you need me." With that, Bobby headed outside.

Instead of going upstairs to clear out the bedroom, Emily headed to the study and turned on the computer. From there, she began a few Google searches. She typed 'Supernatural' into the search bar, but the only results that came back were for the books from Chuck.

'What the hell?' she thought to herself.

Searches for Jensen Ackles, Jared Padalecki, and Misha Collins had no results.

'What the hell is going on?' she thought. Deciding to stop, she turned off the computer and headed upstairs to the spare bedroom. Opening the door, she found a single bed pushed up against the wall. There was a mattress across from it, leaning against the wall. Books lined the walls along with various other items.

Emily sighed. "Guess I better get started."

Within an hour, she had placed the mattress on the bed and cleared out a lot of the stuff on the floor. The books, she had taken downstairs and sorted into the bookcase. She had found sheets, covers, and pillows in a linen closet upstairs. After the room was finished, she flopped herself down on the bed.

"Emily?" Bobby's voice called from downstairs. "You up there?"

"Yeah!" Emily called as she exited the room. "What's up?"

"Come down here a sec."

Emily headed downstairs, closing the door to the spare bedroom behind her. "Hey, Bobby, what's up?"

"So, Sam told you what we do, huh?"

"Yeah." Emily rocked back and forth on her feet. "But I think there's something else you should-"

"I usually don't ask this," Bobby cut her off, "but I could use some help in here. It sure would make things go faster."

"Yeah, sure," Emily said. "What do you need help with?"

"Demonic omens just skyrocketed out of nowhere in Wyoming. Cattle mutilations, strange weather. Could you help me pinpoint all of them?"

"No prob." With that, she grabbed some books and recent newspapers and sat down on the couch.

* * *

Several hours later, they found pretty much everything they could find that might be a demonic omen. Everywhere except southern Wyoming had a mark.

"You find anything for southern Wyoming yet?" Bobby asked.

"Nada," came the reply from the couch.

"You know, you're taking this whole 'demons are real' thing pretty well. Most people usually freak out."

Emily put her book down. "Yeah well, about that. Bobby, I need to tell you I'm actually-"

Before she could continue, there was a knock at the door.

"Hold that thought," Bobby grunted as he went to answer the door.

There was a moment of silence as Bobby left to answer the door, then Dean's voice entered the study. "Hey, Bobby."

Sam's voice followed. "Hey, Bobby."

Emily decided to get up and pretend to see what was going on.

"Sam," Bobby sounded uneasy, "it's good to ... see you up and around."

Sam stepped into the house, patting Bobby on the shoulder. "Yeah ... thanks for patching me up."

"Don't mention it," Bobby muttered.

Dean followed his brother into the house as Bobby stared at him. "Well, Sam's better. And we're back in it now, so... what do you know?"

It wasn't long before Sam spotted Emily. "You're still here?"

"Didn't have anywhere to go." Emily shrugged.

"What is she doing here?" Dean asked, pointing at the brunette.

"She's just here until we can get her back home," Bobby reminded him.

Dean stormed up to the small girl. "Sam told me about you. He said you're from the future, where all of this is some TV show."

Emily looked at Sam. "You told him?"

"Didn't think we would see you again," Sam replied.

"Is that true?" Bobby asked.

Emily sighed. "Yeah. It is. I don't know how I got here, though. All I know is that I went to bed in LA 2016 and woke up in the fictional town of Cold Oak 2007."

"Cold Oak ain't fictional," Bobby grunted.

"It is where I'm from."

"Why didn't you say anything?" Bobby asked.

"I tried to a few times, like just now before Sam and Dean got here," Emily admitted. "But I kept getting cut off."

"I'm not buying it," Dean blurted out.

"Dean-"

"No, Sam! Do you honestly expect me to believe this story?" Dean yelled. "There is no such thing as time travel and alternate universes."

"Andy used his powers on her to make her tell us. She had no choice but to tell the truth."

"Okay fine. Say I do believe this. That means she knows about us right? About our lives?"

"Some stuff, yeah," Emily admitted. "And things that haven't happened yet."

"And we're sure she's human?"

"Yes Dean," Bobby snapped. "We ran all the tests, back at the abandoned house."

"Whatever." Dean moved past everyone into the study.

Sam, Bobby, and Emily followed him in, with Emily lagging behind.

Bobby brought in the map he and Emily had worked on. "Well, Emily and I found something. But I'm not sure what the hell it means."

"What is it?" Sam asked as Bobby set the map down.

"Demonic omens," Bobby replied, "like a frickin' tidal wave. Cattle deaths. Lightning storms. They skyrocketed from out of nowhere. Here." He pointed to Wyoming. "All around here, except for one place... Southern Wyoming."

"Wyoming?" Dean repeated.

"Yeah," Bobby confirmed. "That one area's totally clean – spotless. It's almost as if..." He trailed off.

"What?"

"The demons are surrounding it," Bobby finished.

"But you don't know why?" Dean asked.

"No, and by this point, my eyes are swimming." Bobby pushed the book towards Sam. "Sam, would you take a look at it? Maybe you could catch something I couldn't."

"Yeah, sure."

"Come on, Dean," Bobby gestured. "I got some more books in the truck. Help me lug 'em in."

"Yeah," Dean nodded, following Bobby out of the room.

Once they were gone, Sam turned to Emily. "Hey, sorry about that. I shouldn't have told Dean about you."

Emily shrugged. "They were gonna find out sooner or later. Need any help with that?"

Sam looked at her. "There aren't any in this area are there?"

Emily shook her head reluctantly. "Nope."

"Guess we might as well wait for Dean and Bobby to get back." Sam set the book down. "So, you know a lot about this show?"

Emily nodded. "It's a show about you and Dean. Your hunts, friendships, relationships, etcetera. There are eleven seasons and a lot happens during those eleven, but this is one of the earlier ones. End of season two, I think."

Sam looked at the door. "Did Bobby patch me up?" He asked quietly.

Emily didn't want to lie to Sam, but she also knew Dean wouldn't want her telling him what he had done. Sam would find out from him soon enough anyway. "Yeah," she nodded. "He did."

Sam seemed to sigh in relief and Emily looked down at her shoes.

* * *

A few minutes later, Dean and Bobby came back in, but they were led in by someone else. Ellen.

"Ellen?" Sam asked. "What are you doing here?"

Ellen began to answer, but Bobby held up a hand. He sat Ellen down and poured a glass of water, pushing it towards her.

"Bobby, is this really necessary?" Ellen asked.

"Just a belt of Holy Water," Bobby taunted. "Shouldn't hurt."

Ellen downed the water. "Whiskey now, if you don't mind." She slid the glass back over to Bobby.

"Ellen, what happened? How'd you get out?" Dean asked as Bobby poured her a shot of Whiskey.

"I wasn't supposed to. I was supposed to be in there with everybody else." Ellen scoffed. "But we ran out of pretzels, of all things. It was just dumb luck." She drank the whiskey and sighed. "Anyway, that's when Ash called. Panic in his voice. He told me to look in the safe. Then the call cut out. By the time I got back, the flames were sky-high. And everybody was dead. I couldn't have been gone for more than fifteen minutes."

"Sorry, Ellen," Sam muttered.

"A lot of good people died in there," Ellen teared up. "And I got to live." She scoffed. "Lucky me."

"Ellen, you mentioned a safe," Bobby recalled.

Ellen nodded. "A hidden safe we keep in the basement."

"Demons get what was in it?"

"No." Ellen took out a map from her pocket, unfolding it and setting it down on the table. There were several black lines and x's on it.

Dean pointed to the lines. "Wyoming. What does that mean?"

"Beats me," Ellen shrugged. She looked up at Emily. "So is anyone gonna tell me who the kid is?"

"This is Emily," Sam replied. "We both got kidnapped by the yellow-eyed demon a few days ago. She's quite a ways from home so Bobby's letting her stay with him for the time being."

"Hmm." Ellen took another drink.

"I'll go see if I can figure out more about this map," Bobby said as he took the map from the table.

Bobby was pacing around the house, reading through a large book. "I don't believe it," he finally said as he entered the study.

Sam looked up. "What? You got something?"

Bobby set the book down. "A lot more than that," he replied as everyone gathered around the desk. "Each of these x's is an abandoned frontier church— all mid-19th century. And all of them built by Samuel Colt."

"The guy who made the Colt?" Emily asked.

"Yep," Bobby confirmed. "And there's more. He built private railway lines connecting church to church. It just happens to lay out like this." Bobby took out a sharpie and connected the x's on the map until a star was formed.

"Tell me that's not what I think it is," Dean muttered.

"It's a Devil's Trap," Sam confirmed. "A 100-square mile Devil's Trap."

"That's brilliant," Dean praised. "Iron lines demons can't cross."

"I've never heard of anything that massive," Ellen said in disbelief.

"No one has," Bobby confirmed.

"And after all these years none of the lines are broken?" Dean asked. "I mean, it still works?"

"Definitely," Sam replied.

Dean looked up at his brother. "How do you know?"

"All those omens Bobby and Emily found," Sam responded. "I mean the demons, they must be circling and they can't get in."

"Yeah, well... they're trying," Bobby sounded shaken.

"Why?" Ellen asked. "What's inside?"

"That's what I've been looking for," Dean spoke. "And, uh, there's nothing except an old cowboy cemetery right in the middle." He pointed at the spot on the map.

Sam frowned. "Well, what's so important about a cemetery or," he looked up at Dean, "what's Colt trying to protect?"

"Well, unless-" Dean trailed off.

"Unless what?"

"What if Colt wasn't trying to keep the demons out?" Dean continued. "What if he was trying to keep something in?"

"Now that's a comforting thought," Ellen replied sarcastically.

"Yeah, you think?"

"Could they do it, Bobby? Could they get inside?" Sam asked.

"This thing's so powerful, you'd practically need an A-bomb to destroy it. No way a full-blood demon gets across," Bobby replied.

"No." Sam paused. "But I know who could."

"Jake," Emily confirmed.

Bobby spun around to face her. "Almost forgot you were there, kid. You've barely said anything."

"That was probably why the yellow-eyed demon wanted one survivor. To get them to cross those tracks."

"Exactly what I was thinking."

"If we hurry, we can stop him." Bobby turned to Emily. "You stay here. No offense, but we can't have you getting in the way of this."

"You're seriously just gonna let her stay here?" Dean argued.

"I'll only get in the way," Emily countered.

"She can stay in the car," Dean continued. "But she's sure as hell not staying here."

Bobby grunted. "Fine."

Everyone, sans Emily, packed up their gear and headed out to their cars. Emily rode with Bobby in his truck as he led the way for Sam, Dean, and Ellen in the Impala.

Nearly eleven hours later, they reached their destination. The cars were hidden amongst nearby trees and Emily was given the order to stay put.

"Aye aye," she replied, putting her hand up in a mock salute.

With that, she was left in the dark.

* * *

Emily didn't know what had happened next, but she did know that she woke up back in the spare bedroom at Bobby's. She glanced at the time. It was about 10 in the morning and the sunlight was pouring through the window.

Stretching her arms, the girl stood up and left the room, heading downstairs. Bobby was downstairs in the kitchen, reading through a book. "Mornin' sleepyhead."

"Hey," Emily yawned. "So, what happened last night?"

"That son of a bitch yellow-eyed demon is dead, that's what happened. And the damn door to hell was opened."

"Crap," Emily muttered. "Which means hundreds of more demons are out there."

"Yeah." Bobby closed the book. "So, looks like you might be stuck here a while, huh?"

"Yeah, I guess so."

"Well, if you wouldn't mind, I could sure use the help around this old place. Things would sure go a lot faster with two people. Especially in the junkyard."

"I could help out inside and around outside if you need me to, but I don't know the first thing about cars," Emily admitted. "I don't know how much help I'd be out there."

"I can teach ya," Bobby offered. "And while we're at it. I'll teach you about hunting. I suppose you already know how to kill a lot of the monsters out there from this show, but I also suppose you've never shot a gun or done any real fighting."

"Not really," Emily replied.

"Figured." Bobby stood up. "Breakfast is in the kitchen. I'll be in my study if you need me."

With that, the old hunter picked up his book and headed into the large study behind Emily. Emily sighed as she poured herself a bowl of cereal. This was going to be one wild ride.


	3. The Magnificent Seven

**On the highway - May 7th, 2007**

It had been nearly a week since the gate to hell had been opened. Bobby had spent most of that time teaching Emily how to fight and shoot a gun. She already knew how to kill pretty much every type of monster Sam and Dean hunted, so after a quick review, they moved on to things she didn’t know, like the actual fighting part. The older hunter had also helped her get new IDs that made it more believable that she was from that time. About five days later, she wasn’t exactly ready to start helping out in hunts, but that didn’t mean she got to stay at Bobby’s place alone either. Bobby had found some demonic omens outside of Lincoln, Nebraska, so they got into the car and headed off to meet Sam and Dean there. 

Bobby called Sam from the car. “Hey, Sam.” Pause. “Whatcha doing?” Another pause. “You buried in that book again? ...Sam, you want to break Dean free of that demon deal, you ain't gonna find the answer in no book.” Bobby sighed. “Kid, I wish I knew. So where's your brother?” 

“What?” Bobby asked after a moment, confused. “Well, you boys better pack it up. I think I finally found something. There was a crop failure and cicada storm outside of Lincoln, Nebraska. Might be something up over there. Emily and I will meet you there.” 

With that, Bobby hung up. 

“Kid, you’ll probably have to stay in a motel room while we do our jobs in this town. You got your gun, just in case?”

Emily looked down at her pistol. “Yeah, I got it.” She sighed. “I don’t see why I have to come with if I’m just gonna be getting in the way.”

“‘Cause I don’t trust ya enough to stay at my place by yourself. So, until then, you’ll have to tag along for the time being."

* * *

**Outside Lincoln, Nebraska - May 8th, 2007**

They got to the meetup spot early the next morning. Sam and Dean arrived shortly after. Dean got out of the car eating a bacon cheeseburger as they joined Bobby and Emily by Bobby’s car. 

“So, we're eating bacon cheeseburgers for breakfast, are we?” Bobby asked as the brothers approached.

“Well, I sold my soul,” Dean said with a burger in his mouth. “Got a year to live. I ain't sweating the cholesterol.” Dean looked over at Emily. "You're still here?"

Emily shrugged. "Seeing as how I don't have anywhere to go..." she trailed off. 

"Besides," Bobby said, "it's kinda nice having some company around the place." 

“Hmm," Sam nodded. "So, Bobby, what do you think? We got a biblical plague here or what?”

“Well, let's find out.” Bobby led them up to the house. “Looks like the swarm's ground zero.”

Dean pounded on the door to the farmhouse. “Candygram!”

There was no answer, so Dean picked the lock and let them in. 

An eye-watering stench filled Emily’s nostrils as they stepped inside. 

"Fucking hell," the girl grimaced.

“That's awful,” Sam grimaced too as they all covered their noses.

“That so can't be a good sign,” Dean remarked. 

“Emily, stay close,” Bobby ordered. 

Dean led them in, followed by Sam, and then Bobby and Emily. Bobby and Emily ducked into another room while Sam and Dean walked further into the house. Eventually, they found themselves in a sitting room with a TV playing and three very dead bodies.

“Oh my god.” Emily covered her nose at the stench. Flies buzzed around the corpses sitting on the couch. 

“Bobby, what the hell happened here?” Sam asked.

“I don't know,” Bobby admitted.

“Check for sulfur,” Dean instructed.

“Yeah.”

While they were searching for sulfur, a noise was heard outside. Dean whistled, indicating he was going to check it out. He headed for the front door, gun drawn, while the others moved around back.

Bobby was the first to round the corner to the front of the house. “Isaac? Tamara?” he asked. 

Looking around the corner, Emily saw Dean on the ground and a couple standing over him. The man was pointing a shotgun at the older Winchester’s face. 

“Bobby,” the woman asked in a British accent when she saw the hunter. “What the hell are you doing here?”

“I could ask the same,” Bobby laughed.

“Heya, Bobby,” the man greeted, shaking Bobby’s hand.

Dean waved his arm in the air. “Hello. Bleeding here.” 

After a few introductions, the couple led them back to their house. When they arrived, Dean got on the phone to call the coroner about the bodies. 

“Jenny!” Dean said over the phone. “That is a beautiful name. That's my sister's name, actually.”

“Honey?” Isaac asked, looking around the room. “Where's the Palo Santo?”

“Well, where'd you leave it?” Tamara questioned.

“I don't know, dear. That's why I'm asking,” Isaac remarked matter-of-factly. 

“Palo Santo?” Sam asked. 

“It's holy wood, from Peru. It's toxic to demons like holy water.” Tamara began digging around in a bag. “Keeps the bastards nailed down while you're exorcising them.”

She pulled out a wooden stake, handing it to Isaac. “Thank you, dear.”

“You'd lose your head if it wasn't for me.”

Sam smiled at the couple. “So, how long you two been married?”

“Eight years this past June,” Tamara replied.

Isaac kissed his wife on the forehead. “The family that slays together...”

“Right,” Sam chuckled. “I'm with you there. So, how'd you get started?”

No one said anything. Isaac and Tamara looked at each other sadly. 

“I, uh, you know... I'm sorry.” Sam looked back at Bobby, who shook his head. “It's not – that's none of my business.”

“No, no. It's – it's all right.”

Dean came back into the room, finishing up his phone call. “Well, Jenny, if you look as pretty as you sound, I'd love to have an ... "appletini'.” He made a disgusted face. “Yeah. Call you.” He rolled his eyes as he hung up, addressing everyone in the room. “That was the coroner's tech.”

“And?”

“Get this – that whole family, cause of death? Dehydration and starvation. There's no signs of restraint, no violence, no struggle. They just sat down and never got up.”

“But there was a fully stocked kitchen just yards away,” Bobby pointed out.

“Right,” Sam confirmed. “What is this, a demon attack?”

Bobby shrugged. “If it is, it's not like anything I ever saw, and I've seen plenty.”

“Well, what now? What should we do?” Dean asked.

“Uh, "we're" not gonna do anything,” Isaac cut in.

“What do you mean?” Sam inquired. 

“You guys seem nice enough, but, this ain't "Scooby-Doo," and we don't play well with others.”

“Well, I think we'd cover a lot more ground if we all worked together,” Sam countered. 

“No offense,” Isaac argued back, “but we're not teaming with the damn fools who let the Devil's Gate get opened in the first place.”

“No offense?” Dean shot back. 

“Isaac,” Tamara admonished, “like you've never made a mistake.”

“Oh yeah, yeah,” Isaac nodded. “Locked my keys in the car, turned my laundry pink. Never brought on the end of the world, though.”

Dean chuckled. “All right. That's enough.”

“Guys, this isn't helping. Dean—” Sam muttered.

“Look,” Isaac cut Sam off, “there are a couple hundred more demons out there now. We don't know where they are when they'll strike. There ain't enough hunters in the world to handle something like this. You brought war down on us – on _all of_ us.”

“Okay, that's quite enough testosterone for now.” Tamara pulled Isaac out of the room. 

“So, now what?” Emily asked, speaking for the first time that night. 

“We could camp out here for the night,” Bobby suggested.

“Sounds good,” Sam agreed. “We should keep watch too. Just in case.”

* * *

The next morning, Sam, Dean, and Bobby got word of a murder at a store a few blocks away. Bobby took Emily with him to the store and sent her in to pretend to browse around, while the Winchesters and Bobby questioned the victims.

Emily got a couple of stares as she walked into the store, but she brushed it off as her being a teenager wearing jeans and a t-shirt, walking into a store that she probably couldn’t afford anything from.

She was looking at purses that she had no intention of buying when Sam came over to her. 

“Hey, so listen, Bobby, Dean and I are gonna go check out the security camera footage. Stay here until we get back, okay?”

“Where would I go?” Emily asked. 

“Just stay here, alright?” Sam repeated. “We’ll be right back.”

“You got it.”

Sam left with Bobby, who had returned from questioning the suspect, and Dean to go watch the footage. A few minutes later, Sam walked out of the store alone and Dean and Bobby came up to her. 

“So we think we found the guy,” Bobby informed her. “We’re heading back to Issac and Tamara’s place to try and figure out what we can about this guy.”

“Sounds good.” Emily gave a small smile. “Let’s go. Where’d Sam go?”

“He went to go dig up what he could about our suspect,” Dean said. “Come on, let’s get out of here.”

Dean led her to the Impala while Bobby got in his own car and led them back to Issac and Tamara’s house. 

“So here’s what I don’t get,” Dean spoke up as the two of them drove down the road. “You’ve been here with us for almost a week right?”

Emily nodded. “Yeah. Why?”

“How come we haven’t seen any missing persons reports for you?” Dean paused. “I mean, someone’s gotta be out there looking for you or something right?”

“Uh, did you forget the fact that I’m not exactly from this world?”

“Okay, let’s say for the moment that I don’t believe that because I have no reason to--”

“Fair enough.”

“Aren’t you worried that your parents are worried sick about you?”

Emily sighed. “I guess Sam didn't tell you everything. I've lived in an orphanage my whole life since I was a baby. I don't have any parents to be worried sick about me. So no, I'm not too worried."

"Shit. Sorry, I asked."

"Don't worry about it. I'm used to people asking."

"Sam also said you told him you had powers when you were younger."

"Yeah," Emily confirmed, "had. But I lost them a few years ago."

"What were they?" 

"Telekinesis."

Dean nodded but didn't say anything. 

They drove back to Issac and Tamara’s place. Dean dropped Emily off with Bobby, Isaac, and Tamara and drove off into town to find out who the guy they were looking for was.

“So, Emily,” Tamara asked the young girl, “How’d you come about knowing the Winchesters and Bobby?”

“Oh, uh,” Emily thought up an answer, “I met Sam about a week ago in Cold Oak. I didn’t have anywhere to go afterward, but Bobby let me stay with him. Still don’t know why to be honest.”

“If it had just been me you had met, I would have left you behind or put you on a bus,” Bobby said.

“Gee thanks,” Emily muttered. 

“But Sam insisted you stay with me until we can get this sorted out, and after a few days, I figured it was actually kinda nice having you around," Bobby continued.

“That’s sweet.” Tamara smiled. "How long are you planning on staying?"

"Not sure, to be honest," Emily admitted. 

"Huh," Tamara nodded but didn't say anything else. 

* * *

A few hours later, Dean returned with the news that he knew where the mystery man would be. 

"There's a bar downtown he usually drinks at," Dean told Bobby. He turned to Emily. "You're coming with, but stay out of our way."

"Dean-" Bobby began. 

"Wouldn't it be better for me to stay here though so I don't get in the way?" Emily questioned. 

"Here's the thing, kid," Dean said, "I don't trust you completely yet, so until I do, you're staying where we can keep an eye on you. Got it?"

Emily nodded silently. 

* * *

Several hours later, Dean, Bobby, and Emily were sitting in Bobby’s car, staking out the bar. Emily was in the backseat while Dean and Bobby were in the front. 

Bobby yawned. "What time is it?"

Dean looked at his watch. "Seven past midnight."

"You sure this is the right place?"

Dean let out a huff. "No. But I spent all day canvassing this stupid town with this guy's stupid mug, and, supposedly, he drinks at this," he gestured the picture of the man towards the bar, "stupid bar."

Suddenly, a loud knock was heard from Dean’s window, which caused everyone to jump, and Sam appeared outside, grinning as he opened the door

“That's not funny!” Dean yelled. 

“Yeah,” was all Sam said as he pushed Dean’s seat forward to get into the back with Emily. “Uh, all right, so – so, John Doe's name is Walter Rosen,” the younger Winchester informed them. “He's from Oak Park, just west of Chicago. Went missing about a week ago.”

“The night the Devil's Gate opened?” Dean asked

“Yeah,” Sam confirmed.

“Do you think he's possessed?”

“Well, it's a good bet. So, what, he just walks up to someone, touches them, and they go stark raving psycho or something?”

“Those demons that got out at the gate – they're gonna be able to do all kinds of things we haven't seen.”

“You mean the demons we let out,” Sam reminded them.

“Guys,” Dean interrupted, nodding his head towards something outside.

Everyone looked outside. A red-headed man was getting out of his car and walking towards the bar.

Dean moved to open the door. “All right. Showtime.”

Bobby stopped him. “Wait a minute.”

Dean looked at the older hunter. “What?”

“What'd I just say?” Bobby snapped. “We don't know what to expect out of this guy. We should tail him till we know for sure.”

“Oh, so he kills someone and we just sit here with our junk in our hands?” Dean argued

“We're no good dead!” Bobby yelled back. “And we're not gonna make a move until we know what the score is.”

“Hey, Bobby?” Sam interrupted. “I don't think that's an option.”

“Why not?”

Sam nodded towards another car that had just entered. Everyone looked to see Isaac and Tamara getting out and heading towards the bar. 

Bobby hit the steering wheel. “Damn it!”

“Alright,” Dean moved again to get out of the car. “Now we go.” The older Winchester turned to Emily. “You stay here.” He turned to Sam. “Watch her.”

“Dean!” Emily and Sam both yelled. 

Bobby and Dean got out of the car and gathered guns and holy water, before running up to the door of the bar. Emily watched as they threw themselves on the door, pounding on it as it held shut. 

A few moments later, they came rushing back to the car and quickly got in. 

“Get down!” Bobby yelled as he sped the car straight through the front of the bar. 

Sam, Dean, and Bobby quickly got out and began frantically splashing holy water on the demons. Tamara began frantically screaming for Isaac, who was dead on the ground with blood and drain cleaner coming out of his mouth. 

Sam grabbed Tamara and began pulling her towards the car. “Come on, we got to go!” He yelled. “He's dead! Get in the car!” 

Bobby and Dean were still splashing the demons with holy water as Sam and Tamara crammed into the backseat with Emily. Bobby quickly followed and got into the driver’s seat, but Dean was still fighting the demons. 

“Dean, come on!” Sam yelled as Bobby closed the driver's side door. Dean ignored him. “DEAN! COME ON!” 

Dean opened the trunk of the car and tried splashing the red-headed demon with holy water again, only to find that he'd run out. The demon laughed maniacally and Dean hit him with the water bottle, knocking him into the trunk and slamming it closed.

“Go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go!” Dean yelled frantically as he quickly got into the car. Bobby quickly sped off, away from the bar as the rest of the demons watched on.

* * *

Tamara yelled for Bobby to turn the car around and go back to the bar the entire drive back. 

“We’re not going back!” Bobby argued as he continued to speed towards the house. 

“My husband is there!” Tamara argued. 

“Yeah, and he’s dead!” Bobby snapped. 

Bobby quickly sped the car up the driveway and stopped the car. Sam grabbed Tamara and fought to get her inside as she struggled to get back into the car. Dean and Bobby quickly got the demon out of the car and shoved him inside, tying him up in a chair under a demon trap. 

Emily quickly followed them inside. 

“... And I say we're going back – now!” Tamara was shouting at Sam as Emily walked inside. Bobby was standing near the bookshelf, flipping through a large book. 

“Just hold on a second!” Sam tried to calm her down. 

“I left my husband bloody on the floor!”

“Okay, I understand that, but we can't go back,” Sam argued. 

“Fine,” Tamara huffed. “Then you stay. But I'm heading back to that bar.”

Dean started walking with Tamara to the front door. “I'll go with her.”

“It's suicide, Dean!” Sam yelled after his brother. 

“So what? I'm dead already!” Dean turned towards his brother. 

“How are you gonna kill 'em?” Sam asked angrily. “Can't shoot 'em. You can't stab 'em. They're not just gonna wait in line to get exorcised!”

“I don't care!” Tamara bellowed. 

“We don't even know how many of them there are!” Sam yelled back.

Bobby walked up to them, holding the book. “Yeah, we do. There's seven.” He looked back and forth between the hunters, gritting his teeth. “Do you have any idea who we're up against?”

Dean shook his head in annoyance. “No. Who?”

Bobby huffed. “The seven deadly sins, live and in the flesh!”

No one said anything, but Dean grinned. "What's in the box?!" He chuckled. 

Everyone stared at him in disbelief. 

“Brad Pitt?” Dean asked. “"Se7en"? No?”

Bobby angrily tossed Dean the book that was in his hands. 

“What's this?”

“'Binsfeld's Classification of Demons.',” Bobby informed him. “In 1589, Binsfeld ID'd the seven sins – not just as human vices but as actual devils.”

“The family,” Sam realized, “they were touched by Sloth. And the shopper...

“That's Envy's doing,” Bobby continued, “the customer we got in the next room. I couldn't suss it out at first, until Isaac. He was touched with an awful Gluttony.”

“I don't give a rat's ass if they're the Three Stooges or the Four Tops!” Tamara snapped. “I'm gonna slaughter every last one of them!”

“We already did it your way,” Bobby argued back, advancing on the woman. “You burst in there half-cocked and look what happened! These demons haven't been topside in half a millennium! We're talking medieval, Dark Ages! We've never faced anything close to this! So we are gonna take a breath,” Bobby took a deep breath before bellowing his next line, “And figure out what our next move is!” 

No one said anything as Bobby and Tamara stared at each other. “I am sorry for your loss,” Bobby said quietly. 

Tamara walked out of the room without another word. After a moment, everyone else followed her into the room where Envy was still tied up.

“So you know who I am, huh?” The demon laughed. 

“We do,” Bobby replied. “We're not impressed.”

“Why are you here?” Sam questioned. “What are you after?”

Envy didn’t respond.

“He asked you a question,” Dean snapped. “What do you want?”

Envy chuckled and Dean splashed his face with holy water. 

“Ya! Ahh!” Envy groaned in pain as his face sizzled. “We already have,” he panted, “what we want.”

“What's that?” Dean asked. 

“We're out,” Envy chuckled. “We're free. Thanks to you, my kind are everywhere. I am Legion, for we are many.” He chuckled. “So me, I'm just celebrating. Having a little fun.”

“Fun?” Sam asked.

“Yeah. Fun,” Envy repeated. “See, some people crochet. Others golf. Me? I like to see people's insides ... on their outside.”

Tamara stepped forward. “I'm gonna put you down like a dog.”

“Please,” Envy laughed. “You really think you're better than me.” The demon looked around. “Which one of you can cast the first stone, huh? What about you, Dean? You're practically a, a walking billboard of gluttony and lust. And Tamara. All that wrath. Oooh,” he clicked his tongue. “It's the reason you and Isaac became hunters in the first place, isn't it? It's so much easier to drink in the rage than to face what really happened all those years ago.”

Tamara rushed forward and hit Envy across the face with the book Bobby had earlier. 

“Aah! Whew!” Envy laughed. He stopped as his eyes fell on Emily, who was standing behind the group. “And you, little Amelia. Or actually, is it Emily, now?” 

Emily stepped forward, next to Bobby, “What?”

“Amon always did wonder what happened to that sweet little baby girl who suddenly disappeared without a trace as he killed her mother and father. He told us stories about how “a yellow ring appeared on the ground and the baby just fell in”.” He chuckled. “Looks like you found your way back, after all, still longing after all these years for your mommy and daddy.” 

“You got the wrong person,” Emily told him. Bobby stopped her from saying anything else. 

“He’s just trying to get inside your head.”

Envy looked around the room. “We're not sins, man. We are a natural human instinct. And you can repress and deny us all you want, but the truth is, you are just animals. Horny, greedy, hungry, violent animals. And you know what? You'll be slaughtered like animals, too.” He paused. “The others – they're coming for me.”

“Maybe,” Dean confirmed. “But they're not gonna find you, 'cause you'll be in hell.” 

The grin on Envy’s face slowly faded. 

“Someone send this clown packing,” Dean said as he walked out of the room.

“My pleasure,” Tamara offered as Bobby handed her a book. She began reading. “ _Exorcizamus te, Omnis immundus spiritus, omnis satanica_ ,” she continued reading as the rest of the group left the room. 

“I don't think we're gonna have to worry about hunting them,” Bobby told Sam, Dean, and Emily as they stood in the study. 

“What does that mean?” Sam asked.

“I think maybe this joker's right,” he nodded towards the demon holding room. “They're gonna be hunting us. And they're not gonna quit easy.”

“You guys, why don't you take Tamara and head for the hills?” Dean suggested. “I'll stay back, slow them down, buy you a little time.”

“You're insane, Dean,” Sam argued. “Just forget about it, okay?”

“Sam's right,” Bobby confirmed. 

“There's _six_ of them, guys,” Dean snapped. “We're outmanned, we're outgunned. We’ve got five people here but only four of us actually know how to fight these things. “We'll be dead by dawn.”

“Maybe,” Bobby nodded, “but there's no place to run that they won't find us.”

“Look, if we're going down, we're going down together, all right?” Sam asked his brother.

Dean sighed. “Well let's not make it easy for them.”

The house gave a violent shake as a gust of wind blew out the candles. Tamara slammed the book shut as she walked out of the room. 

“Demon's out of the guy,” she informed the hunters.

“And the guy?” Sam asked

“He didn't make it,” Tamara replied coldly as she walked past the hunters.

* * *

Later that night, Dean was seated on the floor loading a shotgun, while Sam filled flasks with holy water. Bobby was helping Emily load her gun, in case she needed it, when the lights began to flicker. The radio began playing “We Shall Not Be Moved."

Dean cocked his shotgun and stood up. “Here we go.” 

Sam and Dean peered out the window as the radio continued playing.

“Stay close to me,” Bobby ordered Emily. “Only shoot if you absolutely have to.” He led her to the window where Tamara was. 

“Tamara!” Isaac’s voice could be heard yelling from outside. “Tamara! Tamara! Tamara! Help me! Please!” Tamara looked at Bobby in anguish. “Tamara! I got away, but I'm hurt bad! I need help!”

“It's not him,” Bobby muttered to Tamara, who nodded. “It's one of those demons. It's possessing his corpse.”

The demon pounded on the door. “Baby! Why won't you let me in? You left me behind back there. How could you do that? We swore, at that lake in Michigan. Remember? We swore we would never leave each other!

Tamara turned towards Bobby, sobbing. “How did he know that?”

“Steady, Tamara. Steady, Tamara, steady, steady,” Bobby quieted her as he rubbed a hand on her shoulder.

“You just gonna leave me out here?” The demon continued. “You just gonna let me die?!” His voiced turned menacing. “I guess that's what you do, dear! Like that night those things came to our house. Came for our daughter! You just let her die, too.”

“You son of a bitch!” Tamara screamed as she threw open the front door, breaking the salt line and tackling the demon down the steps. 

“Tamara, no!”

“You're not Isaac!” Tamara yelled as she raised the Palo Santo stake and plunged it into his chest. The demon screamed.

The other demons walked inside, over the broken salt line. Four of them ran up the stairs after Sam and Dean, but an overweight, balding man went after Bobby and Emily. Bobby pushed Emily back as the demon began advancing on them. Just as Bobby and Emily were backed into the wall, the demon stopped, as if caught behind an invisible wall. Bobby grinned and looked up. The demon followed his eyes to see a devil’s trap on the ceiling above him. He looked at Bobby, pleading, but Bobby just smiled. 

“Fat, drunk, and stupid is no way to go through life, son,” Bobby taunted. " _Exorcizamus te, Omnis immundus spiritus, Omnis satanica potestas, omnis incursio infernalis adversarii, omnis legio, omnis congregatio et secta diabolica, ergo Draco maledicte, ut ecclesiam Tuam secura, Tibi facias libertate servire, te rogamus, audi nos_!”

Fighting could be heard from Sam and Dean upstairs as they fought the other demons. Bobby and Emily stayed downstairs to stop any more demons and after a few minutes, Sam and Dean came down. 

“Did either of you see a girl come through here?” 

Blonde?” Emily asked. “Had a knife that killed the demons?”

Sam looked at her in shock for a moment, but nodded. 

“Her name’s Ruby,” she told the hunter. “Don’t trust her.”

Sam didn’t say anything else as Sam and Dean stared at each other, then looked back at Emily.

  
  


Nobody slept that night as they waited anxiously for any more demons to show up. 

“You alright, kid?” Bobby asked Emily, who was sitting by the window and had barely said a word all night.

“Yeah, I’m just--” Emily trailed off.

“Just what?” Bobby asked.

“What that demon, Envy, said earlier, about my parents. I mean, what if--”

Bobby cut her off. “He was just trying to get inside your head. What he was saying, it’s impossible.”

“But what if it isn’t?” Emily asked, getting the attention of the other hunters. “It’s pretty obvious parallel universes exist since I’m here. I know absolutely nothing about my past. I don’t even know my real name. Not the one my parents gave me anyway. Emily is the name my foster mother gave me when she found me, but it’s not the one I was given when I was born, and the birthday I have is the day she found me. It’s two months away, but I should technically already be eighteen years old right now because I was already four months old when I was left at the foster home, not a newborn. Everything I know about myself is a lie. Ms. Claudwell, my foster mother, let me take a DNA test when I got older so I could learn more about my past, and you know what we found? Nothing. No record anywhere that I ever existed.”

“Well, there’s no way in hell you were pulled to an alternate universe as a baby,” Dean told her.

“Dean’s right,” Bobby agreed. “Even if that were possible, there’s no way you could have survived.”

Emily didn’t respond and went back to staring out the window. 

  
  


The next morning, Sam and Dean dragged the bodies of the demons that didn’t survive outside and lay them in a shallow pit, dousing them in salt and gasoline. Tamara, on the other hand, build a pyre for Isaac’s body and stood off to the side, watching the fire burn. 

Bobby and Emily walked up to Sam and Dean as they dropped the canisters of salt and fuel.

“Well, you look like hell warmed over,” Dean told Bobby.

“You try exorcising all night and see how you feel,” Bobby snapped.

“Any survivors, Bobby?” Sam asked.

“Well, the pretty girl and the heavy guy, they'll make it,” Bobby informed them. “Lifetime of therapy bills ahead, but, still...”

“That's more than you can say for these poor bastards.” Dean took out a box of matches. 

“Bobby, that knife,” Sam started, “What kind of blade can kill a demon?”

Bobby sighed. “Yesterday, I would have said there was no such thing.” 

Dean turned towards Sam. “I'm just gonna ask it again – who was that masked chick?” He stopped Sam before he could answer. “Actually, the more troubling question would be, how come a girl can fight better than you?” 

Sam chuckled. “Three demons, Dean. At once.”

Dean slapped Sam on the shoulder. “Hey, whatever it takes to get you through the night, pal,” he laughed.

“Yeah, well, if you want a troubling question, I got one for you.”

“What's that?”

“If we let out the seven deadly sins, what else did we let out?” Sam asked.

Nobody said a word as they looked at the bodies in the pit. Dean lit a matchbook. “You're right. That is troubling,” he finally said as he tossed it into the pit. The bodies lit up as everyone watched on. 

Dean turned to Emily. “You really planning on staying?”

“I will if you guys let me,” Emily replied. 

Dean nodded. “Well then, you’ve got a lot to learn. We can’t just have you tag along and hang out while we do all the work. We’ll teach you how to fight properly, so you can be ready.”

“Are you sure, Dean?” Sam asked.

“Yeah, I’m sure.”

* * *

Once the fires had settled down, Tamara packed a bag and headed towards her car, passing the others. “See you gents around,” she said, barely looking at them.

“Tamara?” Bobby asked, stopping her. Tamara stopped but didn’t turn around. “The world just got a lot scarier. Be careful.”

Tamara turned to face the older hunter. “You too.” She got into her car and drove off. 

“Keep your eyes peeled for omens,” Bobby told the boys. “I'll do the same.”

“You got it.”

Bobby and Emily started to walk away, but Sam stopped the older hunter. “Wait, Bobby. We can win this war. Right?”

Bobby paused, not answering the question. Without a word, Sam and Dean looked at each other, then back at Bobby, and nodded. “Catch you on the next one.”

Bobby led Emily to his car and the two of them got in and drove away.


	4. Dream a Little Dream of Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just wanted you guys to know since I already got an email about this a few days ago, that this fic is currently being crossposted from FFN. I currently have 32 chapters on my Fanfiction.net account 'Gallifreyan98' and upload chapters faster there vs here if you want to read chapters faster. Right now I'm in the process of uploading chapters for Fallen once a week until I'm caught up with chapters on here and FFN.

**Aviary Hotel, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania**

**January 7th, 2008**

Eight months. That was how long Emily had been in this universe, eight months. During that time, she had gotten herself a small job to make a little extra money on the side, had officially settled into living with Bobby, and had become a pretty good fighter. Once Bobby thought she was ready, she even started going on hunts with him. Emily had barely seen Sam and Dean during that time. They had called a few times to ask something about a monster they were hunting, but it had been a while since she had seen them.

At the moment, Bobby and Emily were in Pittsburgh, hunting something that killed a local doctor who had gone to sleep and hadn't woken up. They had arrived at the motel early in the morning, and Bobby had left to go ask around about the doctor, leaving Emily in the hotel room by herself to do some research.

"Find anything while I was out?" Bobby asked.

"Only that the doctor's name was Walter Gregg, he was 64 and a university neurologist who was researching sleep studies using a plant called African Dream Root, also known as Silene Capensis. What about you?"

"Apparently this Walter Gregg was researching Charcot-Wilbrand syndrome, which prevents dreams. I spoke to one of his patients, named Jeremy Frost. Told me he dropped out of the study because it scared him."

"Jeremy Frost?" Emily asked.

Bobby nodded.

"Huh," the girl said, leaning back in her seat. "That name sounds familiar for some reason."

Emily helped Bobby put together a poster board of all the research they had found. By the time they had finished, it was getting late, so they decided to call it a night.

* * *

**January 8th, 2008**

The next morning, Emily woke up before Bobby. She left him a note on the dresser and then left the room to go get breakfast. After getting herself a bagel and coffee, she headed back to the room. When she approached, however, she found the door was wide open. Quickly running inside, she found several hotel workers inside the room, desperately trying to wake Bobby up.

"What's going on?" Emily asked, running inside. "Bobby?"

"Are you with this man?" One of the workers asked her.

"Yeah, we just got here yesterday."

"Don't worry, we've called an ambulance, they're on their way. Your father's going to be fine."

Emily didn't think it would be very appropriate to correct the worker on the fact that Bobby wasn't her father, so just looked over at the still sleeping Bobby, worriedly.

"What's going on?"

"He's not waking up," was the only answer she received.

It wasn't long before the ambulance arrived. They loaded Bobby into the back and Emily drove Bobby's car behind the ambulance to the hospital. Emily called Dean from the car and told him what had happened.

* * *

**January 9th, 2008**

Sam and Dean met Emily at the hospital the next day after driving all night. Emily had stayed overnight with Bobby in the hospital room and was woken up by the sound of running footsteps entering the room.

"What happened?" Dean asked as they ran in.

"I'm not sure," Emily told the Winchester. "Bobby and I were working a case. When I woke up this morning, Bobby was still sleeping, so I left to go get breakfast, and when I got back, he was surrounded by hotel workers trying to wake him up."

"You must be Mr. Snyderson, I presume?" A doctor asked Dean as he approached.

"Uh, yeah, that's me," Dean replied.

"So, what's the diagnosis?" Sam asked.

The doctor sighed, looking at his clipboard. "We've tested everything we can think to test. He seems perfectly healthy."

"Except that he's comatose," Dean snapped.

"Mr. Snyderson, you're his emergency contact. Anything we should know?" The doctor asked. "Any illnesses?"

"No, he-he never gets sick. I mean, he doesn't even catch a cold," Dean stammered.

"Doctor, is there anything you can do?" Sam asked.

The doctor sighed. "Look, I'm sorry, but we don't know what's causing it... so we don't know how to treat it. He just... went to sleep, and didn't wake up." With that, the doctor gave a small smile and left.

* * *

Sam, Dean, and Emily stayed with Bobby a little longer before heading back to Bobby and Emily's hotel room.

"So, what were you guys doing in Pittsburgh?" Sam asked Emily as they entered the room.

"As I said earlier, we were working a case. A doctor here was researching sleep studies but he died in his sleep. Just lied down and never got back up." She opened the closet and pulled out the poster board with all their research on it. "This is all we were able to find. We didn't get very far before..."

Sam put the board on the table. "You make heads or tails of any of this?" He asked Dean.

"Silene capensis"," Dean read off one of the papers, "which of course means absolutely nothing to me."

"It's African Dream Root. Legend says it's used for dream walking," Emily recalled. "The doctor that died was using it in his studies."

"All right," Sam began, "So you and Bobby were looking into the doc's death. Hunting after something-"

Dean looked up. "That started hunting you guys."

"But then, how come Bobby got affected and you didn't?" Sam asked.

"Bobby went out yesterday to question some people about the doctor while I stayed here to do some research," Emily informed them. "Maybe something happened while he was out."

"Yeah," Sam nodded.

"All right, you two stay here," Dean instructed. "See if you can find out any new information."

"What are you gonna do?" Sam asked.

"I'm gonna look into the good doctor myself," Dean said as he walked out the door.

* * *

Sam and Emily spent the next few hours doing research on the doctor and his studies.

"So what have you guys been doing these past few months?" Sam asked

"Not much, to be honest," Emily shrugged. "I got myself a job in town and Bobby taught me how to hunt. I've been helping him on cases a lot recently too."

"Cool," came the reply. "You know, if you want, maybe you could tag along with us on our next few hunts."

Emily closed her laptop. "Really? You think Dean would be okay with it?"

"It might take him some time to warm up to the idea, but I'm sure he'll come around eventually."

* * *

A few hours later, Sam and Emily met Dean at the hospital. Dean was sitting by Bobby's bed, with his back to the door, as they entered. He turned around as the two of them entered the room.

"How is he?" Sam asked.

Dean turned back to Bobby as Sam and Emily entered the room. "No change. What did you guys get?" He asked as he stood up and joined them at the foot of the bed.

"Well, considering what Emily told us about the doc's experiments Bobby's wall is starting to make a hell of a lot more sense."

"How so?"

Sam held up a file. "The plant Emily told us about, the African Dream Root, it's been used by Shaman and medicine men for centuries."

"Let me guess. They dose up, bust out the didgeridoos, start kicking around the hackey," Dean guessed.

Sam shook his head. "Not quite. If you believe the legends, it's used for dream walking. I mean, entering another person's dreams, poking around in their heads."

"Which I'm guessing is what happened to Bobby," Emily chimed in.

"I take it we believe the legends?" Dean asked.

Sam scoffed. "When don't we? But dream walking is just the tip of the iceberg."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, this Dream Root is some serious mojo. You take enough of it, with practice, you can become a regular Freddy Krueger," Sam read from one of the files. "You can control anything. You could turn bad dreams good, you could turn good dreams bad."

"And killing people in their sleep?" Dean asked.

Sam nodded, "For example."

Dean sighed.

"So let's say uh, let's say this doc was testing this stuff on his patients, Tim Leary-style."

"Somebody gets pissed at him, decides to give him a little dream visit, he goes nighty-night," Dean continued.

"But what about Bobby?" Sam asked. "I mean, if the killer came after him, how come he's still alive?"

"I don't know."

The Winchesters and Emily walked down the hall of the hospital. "So how do we find our homicidal sandman?" Dean asked.

"Could be anyone," Sam told him.

"Yeah?" Dean asked.

Sam nodded. "Yeah."

Dean turned to Emily. "Any ideas?"

Emily shrugged. "Maybe one of his test subjects?"

Dean stopped Sam. "Someone who knew the doctor; had access to his dream shrooms."

Sam shifted in his spot. "It's possible."

"But his research was pretty sketchy," Dean continued. "I mean.. I don't know how many subjects he had, or who all of them were."

Sam scoffed. "What?" Dean asked.

"In any other case, we'd be calling Bobby and asking him for help right now."

Dean looked up at his brother, an idea forming in his face. "You know what? You're right."

"What?" Sam asked.

"Let's go talk to him," Dean suggested.

"Sure," Sam laughed. "I think we might find the conversation a bit one-sided."

"Unless we're using the Dream Root," Emily realized.

"Exactly," Dean confirmed.

"What?" Sam asked. "You wanna go dream walking inside Bobby's head?"

"Yeah. Why not?" Dean asked. "Maybe we could help."

"We have no idea what's crawling around in there."

"Well, how bad could it be" Dean asked.

"Bad."

Dean scoffed. "Dude, it's Bobby."

Sam thought about it for a second. "Yeah, you're right," he finally said. "One problem though. We're fresh out of African Dream Root, so unless you know someone who can score some."

"Crap," Dean scoffed.

"What?"

"Bela."

"Bela?" Sam scoffed as well. "Crap."

"Oh God," Emily rolled her eyes. "I never liked her."

"You're actually suggesting we ask her a favor?" Sam asked.

"I'm feeling dirty just thinking about it, but yeah," Dean said as he started walking again. After a moment, Sam and Emily started walking after him.

Emily left Bobby's car in the hospital parking lot and rode back to the hotel in the Impala with the Winchesters.

* * *

**January 10th, 2008**

It was just after midnight when they got back to the hotel. Sam ended up crashing at the desk not long after they got back to the room.

"Let me guess," Emily spoke as Dean walked into the room after calling Bela, "no luck?"

"Nope." Dean sighed. "See if you can help me go through these notes, yeah?"

Emily nodded. "Sure thing."

* * *

Dean and Emily spent the next hour going through the doctor's notes, which proved to be difficult because the doctor's handwriting was terrible and Sam was still sleeping at the desk, making a lot of what Dean would call 'happy noises'.

"Sam!" Dean finally yelled out to his brother. "Sam wake up!"

Sam jolted awake, wiping the drool off his hand.

"Dude, you were out," Dean informed his brother. "And making some seriously happy noises."

Sam shifted in his seat but didn't turn around.

"Who were you dreaming about?" Dean asked.

"What?" Sam asked, still not turning around. "No one. Nothing."

"C'mon, you can tell me," Dean joked. "Angelina Jolie?"

"No," Sam replied.

"Brad Pitt?"

Sam finally turned around. "No. No! Dude, it doesn't matter."

Dean sighed. "Whatever. "I called Bela."

"Bela? Yeah? She- What'd she.. you know, say?" Sam asked awkwardly. "She.. gonna.. help us?"

"Shockingly, no, which puts us back to square one. Emily and I have been trying to decipher the doctor's notes." Dean sighed. "Unfortunately, he has worse handwriting than you do."

Sam didn't move from his seat.

"You gonna come help us with this stuff?" Dean asked.

"Yeah, yeah," Sam groaned. "Just give me a sec."

A loud knock came from the door and Dean got up to answer it. He opened the door an inch and peered out, then looked back at Sam, annoyed.

"Bela," Dean said in a fake cheery voice while opening the door. "As I live and breathe."

A woman with long brown hair entered the room, wearing a black trenchcoat. Sam looked visibly uncomfortable.

"You called me. Remember?" Bela asked.

"I remember you turning me down," Dean recalled as he closed the door.

"Well, I'm just full of surprises." Bela turned to Emily, who was still sitting at the table.

"Emily, I presume?" Bela asked the girl.

"Yeah, that's me," Emily replied.

"The Winchesters have told me a lot about you."

"Nothing too bad, I hope."

"Not at all."

"Why are you here, Bela?" Sam asked, still sitting in the chair.

Bela took a jar out of her bag. "I brought you your African Dream Root." She handed the jar to Dean. "Nasty stuff, and not easy to come by." Bela put her bag on top of the TV and began taking off her coat.

"Why the sudden change of heart?" Dean questioned.

"What? I can't do you a little favor every now and again?" Bela took off her coat, revealing a long-sleeved blue shirt underneath.

"No. You can't," Dean shook his head. "Come on, I wanna know what the strings are before you attach them."

"You said this was for Bobby Singer, right?" Bela questioned.

Dean nodded.

"Well, I'm doing it for him. Not you."

"Bobby? Why?"

"He saved my life once. In Flagstaff," Bela responded.

Dean gave her a look but didn't say anything.

"I screwed up and he saved me, okay?" Bela finally said. "You satisfied?"

Dean shrugged. "Maybe."

"So when do we go on this little magical mystery tour?" Bela asked.

"Oh, you're not going anywhere," Dean said as he put the jar in the safe with the colt. "I don't trust you enough to let you in my car, much less Bobby's head. No offense."

"None taken," Bela sneered. "It's 2 am. Where am I supposed to go?"

Dean led her to the door. "Get a room. Ah, they got the Magic Fingers, a little Casa Erotica on pay-per-view. You'll love it."

"You..." Bela snarled as she grabbed her bag and coat, walking out of the room.

Sam jumped out of his chair. "Nice to see-... Seeing you..." he stammered as Bela slammed the door, "... Bela."

Dean gave his brother a weird look.

"Dude, what was that all about?" Emily asked.

"No-nothing," Sam replied quickly. He cleared his throat. "So, uh, we doing this then?"

"Yeah," Dean said. He looked at Emily. "She coming with?"

"Maybe she can help," Sam suggested. "She's spent a lot of time with Bobby these past few months."

Sam made three glasses of tea with Dream Root, handing one to Dean, one to Emily, and keeping one for himself. The three of them sat on the edge of the beds, looking down at the glasses.

"Uh, should we dim the lights and synch up Wizard of Oz to Dark Side of the Moon?" Dean asked as he swirled the drink around.

"Why?" Sam asked.

Dean looked disappointed. "What did you do during college?" He went to drink the dream root, but Sam stopped him.

"Wait, wait, wait. Whew. Can't forget this," Sam said as he took an envelope out of his shirt pocket. He pulled something out, handing some to Dean and some more to Emily.

Emily took what Sam was handing her. "Oh God, I remember this. You have to drink some of whoever's dream you want to enter."

"Yeah, exactly," Sam confirmed.

Dean looked disgusted as he put the hair in the drink. "Last chance to back out," he told Emily.

The girl shook her head. "I'm going with you guys."

Sam and Emily put the hair in their drinks as well and all three of them took a deep breath.

"Bottoms up," Dean said as he raised his glass.

"Yeah."

The three hunters clinked their glasses and downed the drink. The taste was enough to make Emily's eyes water and almost throw it back up, but she managed to down the entire drink.

"Feel anything?" Dean asked after a moment.

"No. You feel anything?" Sam asked

Dean shook his head. "No."

"Yeah, me either," Emily chimed in.

Dean looked inside his glass. "Maybe we got some bad shwag."

Thunder and rain could suddenly be heard from outside. Sam looked over at the window. "Hey, when did it start raining?"

Dean got up and pulled back the curtains. "When did it start raining upside down?" He asked as he turned back to Sam. The colors of the hotel walls faded away as the walls changed from the hotel room to that of a living room.

"Okay," Dean said, looking around, "I don't know what's weirder – the fact that we're in Bobby's head ... or that he's dreaming of _Better Homes and Gardens._ "

Sam held out a hand to get Dean's attention. "Wait. Wait a sec. Imagine the place, uh, without the paint job," he started gesturing to everything around them, "More cluttered, dusty, books all over the place."

"It's Bobby's house," Dean realized.

"Yeah," Sam laughed.

"But where's Bobby?"

"Bobby?!" Dean called out quietly, walking around the room.

Sam walked towards the hallway. "Bobby?" He called up the stairs. He turned back to his older brother. "Dean?"

Dean turned around.

"I'm gonna go look outside."

"No, no, no, stay close," Dean whispered.

"Dude, I'll be fine," Sam argued. "Just, look around in here." At Dean's hesitation, he added, "Look, we gotta find him."

"Don't do anything stupid," Dean finally relented.

Sam nodded and walked down the hall.

.

"Stay close to me," Dean instructed Emily. He led her to the kitchen door opening them up and leading her through the room. "Bobby?"

They walked through the kitchen and into the hallway where there were two doors, one in front of them and one on the left.

"Bobby!"

A noise could be heard and Dean quickly looked down the hall to see what it was, only to find nothing there.

"Who's out there?" Bobby's scared voice could be heard from the door on their left.

Dean and Emily walked to the door that Bobby's voice came from. Long scratch marks were running down the wood. "Bobby, you in there?" Dean asked.

"Dean?"

"Yeah. It's me. Open up."

Bobby opened the door but moved past Dean looking into the kitchen fearfully. "How in the hell did you find me?" The older hunter asked.

"Sam, Emily and I got our hands on some of that Dream Root stuff."

"Dream Root? What?"

"Remember Bobby? Dr. Gregg, the experiments?" Emily asked. "You and I were working that case in Pittsburgh?"

Bobby was still looking fearfully around the room. "What the hell are you talking about?" The lights in the room began to flicker. "Hurry," Bobby said as he quickly ran back to the closet.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa," Dean said frantically as he stopped Bobby, turning him around. "What's going on?"

"She's coming."

"Okay, you know this is a dream, don't you?"

"What are you, crazy?" Bobby asked, terrified.

"He's right Bobby! None of this is real."

The door on the other end of the hallway opened up and Bobby pointed down the hall. "Does that look made-up?"

At the end of the hall, a woman was coming down the hallway. She had wounds on her neck and chest, that were dripping blood on to a white dress.

"Bobby, who is that?" Dean asked.

Bobby had tears in his eyes now. "She's... She's my wife," he replied.

"Why Bobby?" The woman asked. "Why did you do this to me?"

Bobby began backing up into the kitchen. "I'd have rather died myself than hurt you."

"But you did hurt me. You shoved that knife into me," Karen told Bobby. Her voice got angrier with each word. "Again and again. You watched me bleed. Watched me die."

Dean grabbed Bobby from behind. "Bobby, she's not real."

Bobby ignored Dean.

"How could you?" Karen asked.

Bobby looked like he was on the verge of tears. "You were possessed, baby. You were rabid. And I didn't know what I know now. I didn't know how to save you."

"You're lying. You wanted me dead!" Karen screamed. "If you loved me, you would've found a way!"

"I'm sorry," Bobby sobbed.

"Bobby please!" Emily tried desperately. "None of this is real. You can make her go away!"

"Come on!" Dean yelled, dragging Bobby and Emily into the living room. He slid the doors closed as Karen began running towards them, slamming them in her face.

Dean leaned against the doors, holding them closed. "I'm telling you, all of it," the Winchester yelled at Bobby. "Your house, your wife, it's a nightmare!" He grabbed a wire and tied the door handles together.

"I killed her," Bobby sobbed.

"Bobby! This is your dream. And you can wake up. I mean, hell, you can do anything."

"Just leave me alone. Let her kill me already," Bobby despaired.

"Nobody is going to kill you Bobby, but you need to wake up!" Emily tried.

Dean grabbed Bobby forcefully and spun him around to look him in the eye. "Look at me," he shouted over the loud banging on the door. "Look at me. You gotta snap out of this now.

You're not gonna die. I'm not gonna let you die. You're like a father to me. You gotta believe me, please."

Bobby looked back and forth between Dean, Emily, and the door Karen was banging on. "I'm dreaming?" He finally asked.

"Yes!" Emily practically screamed.

"Now take control of it!" Dean instructed.

Bobby looked at the door and closed his eyes tightly. All of a sudden, the banging on the doors stopped. Dean removed the wire and slid the doors open, revealing an empty kitchen.

"I don't believe it," Bobby gasped.

"Believe it," Dean panted. "Now would you please wake up?"

A moment later, Emily found herself sitting up on the hotel bed next to Sam and Dean.

* * *

**January 11th, 2008**

The next morning, Dean got a call on his cell. It was the hospital telling him that Bobby had woken up, so they all piled into the Impala and headed down to meet him.

"Hey Bobby," Sam said as they entered the room. "How are you doing?"

"Fine, considering," Bobby replied.

Sam nodded, then set down the files he had brought with him and left to go search Jeremy's apartment.

While Sam was gone, Bobby started going through the paperwork.

"Hey, Bobby. That, uh... That stuff, all that stuff with your wife?" Dean asked. Bobby looked over at him. "That actually happen?"

Bobby nodded sadly. "Everybody got into hunting somehow."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry. If it weren't for you, I'd still be lost in there. Or dead." There was a pause as Bobby looked up at Dean. "Thank you."

A moment later, Sam reentered the room. "So, uh, stoner boy wasn't in his dorm," he announced. "My guess is he's long gone by now."

"He ain't much of a stoner," Bobby informed them, picking up a picture of Jeremy.

"No?" Dean asked.

"No. His name's Jeremy Frost. Full-on genius. Hundred-and-sixty IQ. Which is sayin' some, considering his dad took a baseball bat to his head." He threw the paper down on the tray and picked up another one, handing it to Sam. "Here's Father of the Year."

Sam looked at the picture for a moment before setting it down as well.

"He died before Jeremy was 10," Bobby continued.

"Looks like a real sweetheart," Sam scoffed.

"Injury gave him Charcot-Wilbrand. He hasn't dreamt since."

"Until he started using the dream root," Emily realized. "I knew I had heard his name somewhere. I just wish I had figured it out before this happened. Sorry, Bobby."

"It ain't your fault, kid."

"How'd he know how to dig up your worst nightmare and throw it at you?" Dean asked.

Bobby shrugged. "Hey, he was rooting around in my skull. God knows what he saw in there."

"Yeah. How'd he get in there in the first place?" Sam asked. "Isn't he supposed to have some of your hair, your DNA, or something?"

"Yeah."

Bobby sighed. "Yeah. 'Fore I knew it was him, he offered me a beer. I drank it. Dumbest friggin thing."

"Oh, I don't know," Dean laughed awkwardly. "It wasn't that dumb."

"Dean, you didn't," Sam scoffed at his brother.

"I was thirsty," Dean admitted.

"That's great," Sam yelled. "Now he can come after either one of you."

"Well, now we just have to find him first," Dean replied.

"We better work fast," Bobby sighed, "and coffee up. Because the one thing we cannot do – is fall asleep."

* * *

**January 13th, 2008**

The next couple of days were spent trying to find Jeremy Frost, with no luck, and making sure Bobby and Dean didn't fall asleep. Sam and Emily took turns staying awake to make sure they didn't collapse. On the second night, Dean was pissed as all Hell, speeding down the road in the Impala with Sam and Emily in tow.

"I mean, this Jeremy guy's not a friggin' ghost," Dean yelled angrily. "Where the hell could he be?"

"Dean, you sure you don't want me to drive?" Sam asked cautiously. "You seem a little... caffeinated."

"Well, thanks for the news flash, Edison!" Dean fumed. His cell phone became to ring and Dean began fumbling with it, mumbling in frustration until he finally got it in his hand and answered the call.

"Tell me you got something!" Dean yelled into the speaker.

There was a pause. "Yeah."

Pause. "What the hell, Bobby!"

Pause. "What's Bela got?"

Pause. Dean huffed. "Great! Well, I'm just gonna go blow my brains out now!" He shouted before throwing the phone down again and hitting the steering wheel.

"You know what?" Dean asked as he pulled the car onto the side of the road and shut off the engine. "That's it. I'm done."

"What are you doing?" Sam asked.

Dean leaned back in his seat. "Taking myself a long-overdue nap."

"What?! Dean, Jeremy can come after you," Sam shouted.

"That's the idea."

"Excuse me?"

Dean opened his eyes. "Come on man, we can't find him, so let him come to me."

"On his own turf?" Sam argued. "Where he's basically a god?"

"I can handle it," Dean said, closing his eyes again.

"Not alone, you can't," Sam argued as he pulled out some of Dean's hair.

"Ow!" Dean yelped as he touched his head where Sam had pulled out his hair. "What are you doing?"

"Comin' in with you," Sam told Dean as he fiddled with his hair.

"No, you're not," Dean snapped.

"Why not? At least then it'll be two against one."

"Make that three against one," Emily said. "I'm coming too."

"Absolutely not," Dean snapped. "I don't know you well enough to have you in my head as well."

"Dean whatever's in your head, I probably already saw when I watched this episode," Emily argued. "Besides, we'll have a much better shot if it's the three of us against Jeremy."

"I don't care," Dean shook his head. "You're not going and that's final."

Emily huffed. "Fine."

Sam made two drinks with Dream Root in them and gave one to Dean. They each downed the drinks and a moment later fell asleep in the front seat of the car.

* * *

Emily looked at the sleeping Winchesters. They had been asleep for a long time already and she was starting to get worried. She knew Dean had told her "no", but she knew she might be able to help as well. Emily was contemplating whether or not to listen to Dean, when Sam let out a pained groan, indicating he'd been hit with something. Barely stopping to consider the idea, Emily leaned forward and made herself a Dream Root drink, complete with some of Dean's hair. Taking a deep breath, she downed the drink and soon found herself near a clearing, surrounded with trees.

Sam was pinned to the ground with what appeared to be railroad spikes. Jeremy was standing over him, hitting the Winchester repeatedly with a baseball bat. Thinking carefully, Emily quickly weighed her options. If she just ran out there, she'd be taken down almost instantly, and any wrong moves would cause Jeremy to know she was there. But this was a dream, where you could do anything you wanted...

Emily looked around, her eyes falling on a stone that looked pretty heavy. Too heavy for her to pick up, let alone throw with her hands. But what if she didn't need to use her hands?

Emily concentrated on the stone, imagining it flying through the air, straight towards Jeremy. The stone began to shake a little, lifting into the air as if something invisible was carrying it. Emily kept her concentration, remembering all the fun times she had with her powers when she was little, remembering how happy using them made her. The stone lifted easier now, and with a final push, Emily shoved the stone straight towards Jeremy, easily knocking him out of the way.

"What the...?" Sam asked, looking around.

Emily quickly ran up, releasing Sam from his trap. "Sorry," she apologized. "I know Dean said not to, but you looked like you needed some help"

"No, no," Sam panted. "I'm glad you're here. You arrived just in time." Sam looked at the unconscious Jeremy. "How did you do that?"

"I just concentrated," Emily shrugged. "Like this," focusing on Jeremy's baseball bat, Emily willed it to fly into her hands. It flew straight into her waiting palm with ease. "Don't know if it's just because we're in a dream, but I think I might have found out how to get my powers to work again."

"And just in time, too," Sam pointed to Jeremy, who was starting to regain consciousness. "Hand me that," he pointed to the bat in Emily's hand, which she passed over.

"You can't stop me," Jeremy groaned as he stood up. "There's nothing I can't do in here."

"Because of the Dream Root," Sam realized.

"That's right."

"Yeah? Well, you're forgetting something," Sam chuckled.

"What's that?" Jeremy asked, a new baseball bat in his hands.

"I took the Dream Root too," Sam smiled.

"Jeremy!" A man's voice called from the woods. "Jeremy!"

Jeremy started backing up in fear, dropping his bat. "No. No..."

The man started walking towards Jeremy.

"Dad?"

"You answer me when I'm talking to you, boy," Jeremy's dad, Henry, bellowed.

"No..." Jeremy whimpered, still backing away.

Sam took the opportunity to hit Jeremy across the face with the bat, knocking him down. He hit him again and again until Jeremy finally stopped moving, indicating he was dead.

A moment later, Emily found herself waking up in the Impala, along with Sam and Dean. Dean looked shaken up about something as he looked over at his brother.

* * *

**January 14th, 2008**

The next morning, Sam and Emily went to get Bobby from the hospital. While they were walking down the hall to the hotel room, Sam told Bobby what had happened the night before.

"So you both did a little dream-weaving of your own in here, huh?" Bobby asked.

"Yeah. I just sort of concentrated and it happened, you know?"

"Didn't have anything to do with... you know, your psychic stuff?"

Sam stopped in front of the room door. "No. I mean, I don't think so. Emily did the same thing and she wasn't psychic."

Bobby nodded. "Good. Good."

Sam opened the door, and Dean turned around as they walked in.

"Hey, you guys seen Bela?" The older Winchester asked. "She's not in her room. She's not answering her phone."

"She must've taken off or something," Sam shrugged as he closed the door.

"Just like that? It's a little weird."

"Yeah well, if you ask me what's weird is why she helped us in the first place," Bobby

"I thought you saved her life," Dean recalled.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Bobby asked, perplexed.

"The thing in Flagstaff," Dean reminded him.

"That thing in Flagstaff was an amulet," Bobby told the hunters. "I gave her a good deal, that's all."

Dean looked confused, looking at Sam, who looked over at him with the same look of confusion.

"Well, then why did y-?" Sam began

"You boys better check your pockets," Bobby suggested.

Sam and Dean reached into their pockets and Bobby rolled his eyes. "Not literally."

Dean got a look of realization on his face and walked over to the safe. "No, no, no, no." He opened up the safe door, only to find it empty.

"The Colt," Sam sighed.

"Crap," Emily breathed.

"Bela stole the Colt," Sam said as Dean slammed the safe shut.

"Damn it, boys!" Bobby yelled.

"Pack your crap," Dean instructed as he walked over to his bag.

"Why?" Sam asked. "Where are we going?"

Dean turned to his brother. "We're gonna go hunt the bitch down."

They quickly packed their bags and went down to the parking lot, throwing their bags in the trunk of the Impala. Emily and Bobby followed with their bags, ready to take off in Bobby's car. Dean closed the trunk and leaned against the Impala with Sam and Emily.

"Hey, Sam. I was wondering. When you were in my head, what did you see?"

"Uh, just Jeremy. He kept me separated from you. Easier to beat my brains out that way, I guess." Sam looked at Emily. "I might have died if Emily didn't get there when she did."

"What?" Dean asked. He looked at the young girl angrily. "I told you to stay out of my head!"

Sam quickly got between Dean and Emily, shielding the young girl. "She saved my life, Dean!" He argued. "If Emily had listened to you, who knows what could have happened."

"You could have been fine!" Dean snapped.

"And I might not have been!" Sam yelled back. "Look, Emily saved my life tonight by doing some of her own dream weaving and I'm grateful for that. You should be, too!"

Dean looked at Emily. "You did some of your own dream weaving?"

Emily nodded. "Yeah, I did."

"I was pinned to the ground with railroad spikes and she threw a heavy stone from out of nowhere, knocking Jeremy out and allowing me to get free."

"Huh," Dean looked at the girl. "Not bad."

Emily smiled and Dean looked at her bag, then at the trunk. "You really think you're ready to go on a hunt with us?"

Emily looked at Dean in shock. "I think so."

Giving Sam a look, Dean opened the trunk back up. "Come on, put your stuff in."

"You mean it?" Emily asked in shock.

"Yep. Now hurry up before I change my mind."

Emily quickly put her bag in the trunk of the Impala before Dean closed it again. Once her bag was in, Dean closed the trunk and began got into the front seat.

"What about you?" Sam asked as he got into the passenger seat. "You never said."

"Nothing," Dean shook his head. "I was looking for you the whole time." Dean sighed, fiddling with the keys. "Sam," he finally said.

"Yeah?" Sam asked, looking over at Dean.

"I've been doing some thinking, and," Dean cleared his throat. "Well, the thing is... I don't wanna die." He looked over at Sam, whose expression had saddened. "I don't wanna go to hell."

After a moment, Sam nodded, tears welling in his eyes. "All right. Yeah," he said softly. "We'll find a way to save you."

"We won't let you die, Dean," Emily replied uneasily from the backseat. She knew in her heart that there wasn't really anything she could do to stop Lilith from taking Dean to Hell, but she was willing to try.

"Okay, good," Dean nodded shakingly.

Sam nodded reassuringly as Dean started the Impala and drove off.


	5. Mystery Spot

**February 4th, 2008**

Emily sat in the back of the Impala, fiddling with her thumbs as Dean drove the Impala down the road. They had spent the past month driving through the eastern U.S. before finally ending up in Broward County, Florida. Dean pulled the Impala into the parking lot of the Flamingo Des Palm Motel and the three of them grabbed their bags from the trunk. Sam went to check them in, while Emily and Dean waited for him outside.

"So, why are we here again?" Emily asked Dean. "I thought we were trying to find Bela."

"We are," Dean said, leaning against the trunk, "but Sammy thinks we should check out this guy that went missing from this town."

"Just the one guy?"

"Yep. Sammy knows more about this than me, though, so we'll probably just ask him tomorrow."

Sam came back outside with the key to the room. "Alright, we're checked in," he said, grabbing his bag.

Sam led them up to the motel room and opened the door, where they were greeted with two beds.

"Crap," Dean sighed. "There's only two beds."

"I can go ask for another bed for Emily," Sam offered.

"No," Dean sighed. "The beds should be big enough. She can share with one of us for tonight. Besides, it's late, and it'll just be for one night."

"Fine then," Sam sighed. "Then she can sleep with you." He tossed his bag onto the bed nearest the door.

Dean tried to argue but ultimately ended up giving up, as he and Emily tossed their bags onto the bed next to Sam's.

* * *

**February 5th, 2008**

The next morning, Emily was woken by the sound of "Heat of the Moment" playing on the radio. She sat up to see Dean sitting on the edge of the bed, tying his shoes. Sam was sitting up in the bed next to them, eyeing Dean curiously. Glancing over at the clock, she noticed that it was 7:30 in the morning.

"Rise and shine, Sammy!" Dean greeted happily.

"Dude. Asia?" Sam groaned.

"Come on. You love this song and you know it."

Sam nodded. "Yeah, and if I ever hear it again I'm gonna kill myself."

"What?" Dean yelled, turning up the volume. "Sorry, couldn't hear you."

Dean began bobbing his head to the music as Sam shook his head in disbelief at his brother's antics.

' _Crap_ ,' Emily thought to herself. ' _Mystery Spot episode. Okay, Sam doesn't look confused right now, so that probably means Dean hasn't died. Yet. Hopefully, when he does, I'll be able to help somehow. At least I'll get to meet Gabe in this episode. Or, the Trickster, as Sam and Dean know him as right now._ '

The three of them quickly got dressed and brushed their teeth before heading down to breakfast.

Sam and Emily were waiting for Dean by the open door of the motel. "Whenever you're ready, Dean," Sam sighed.

Dean pulled a black bra out of his bag. "This yours?" He asked, laughing at Sam's glare. Finally, he pulled out his M1911A1 pistol.

"Bingo." Dean walked out of the room. "Now who's ready for some breakfast?"

The three hunters walked down the street to a nearby diner, sitting down at a booth.

"Hey. Tuesday," Dean grinned, pointing to a poster on the wall. "Pig in a poke."

"You even know what that is?" Sam scoffed.

"You three ready?" a waitress, whose name tag read Doris, asked.

"Yes. I'll have the special, side of bacon and a coffee," Dean ordered.

"Make it two coffees and a short stack," Sam added.

Emily looked up from her menu. "Three coffees and french toast. And could I get some cream and sugar for my coffee, please?"

"You got it." Doris smiled before walking away.

"I'm telling you, Sam, this job is small fry," Dean told his brother. "We should be spending our time hunting down Bela."

Sam scoffed. "Okay, sure, let's get right on that. Where is she again?"

"Shut up."

"Look. Believe me, I want to find her as bad as you do. In the meantime, we have this." Sam pulled out some papers, handing them to Dean.

"Alright, so this professor," Dean began, as he read the paper.

"Dexter Hasselback was passing through town last week when he vanished," Sam informed him.

Dean nodded. "Last known location?"

"His daughter says he was on his way to visit the Broward County Mystery Spot."

Dean flipped the flyer over. "Where the laws of physics have no meaning," he read.

Doris returned, holding a tray with three coffees. "Two coffees, black, and some hot sauce for the—" Doris gasped as the hot sauce fell off the tray, smashing onto the floor

"Whoops. Crap! Sorry," she said, looking sheepishly at Dean. Doris turned back to the kitchen. "Cleanup!"

The three of them finished their breakfast and, after paying, left the diner.

"Sam," Dean said, grabbing the flyer out of his brother's hand as they walked down the sidewalk, "joints like this are only tourist traps, right? I mean, you know, balls rolling uphill, furniture nailed to the ceiling, they're only dangerous to your wallet."

"Okay, look," Sam sighed, "I'm just saying, there are spots in the world where holes open up and swallow people. The Bermuda Triangle, uh, the Oregon Vortex—"

"Broward County Mystery Spot?"

"Yeah, I'm with Dean on this, Sam," Emily chimed in. "Mystery Spots are a total scam."

"Well sometimes these places are legit," Sam argued.

"All right, so if it is legit, and that's a big-ass if, what's the lore?"

"Well—"

Before Sam could continue, Dean collided with a girl holding a stack of papers.

"Excuse me," the girl said, before walking in the opposite direction.

Emily suddenly got an idea. "Hold that thought, Sam," she said, running after the girl.

"Excuse me!" Emily yelled, running down the sidewalk. She caught up to the girl, who had stopped to wait up for her. "Could I have one of those flyers?"

The girl nodded, not saying a word as she handed a flyer to Emily before walking off again.

Emily ran back to Sam and Dean, waving the paper in the air.

"What was that all about?" Dean asked.

"Sorry," Emily replied. "But I remembered something from this episode when I saw that girl." She handed the paper to Sam. "That girl is the daughter of the man who went missing."

"Do you remember anything else?" Dean asked as Sam looked at the paper. "Like where the actual guy is so we can get out of this town?"

' _Yeah, he's in a wormhole,'_ Emily thought.

"No," she lied. "That I don't remember."

Sam looked down the sidewalk, probably to go chase after the girl handing out the papers, but she was already long gone. "Okay, uh, at least we have something to go on now. Good work, Emily."

"This whole thing still sounds a little _X-Files_ to me," Dean said.

Sam sighed. "All right, look, I'm not saying this is really happening, but if it is, we gotta check it out, see if we can do something."

Dean finally caved. "Alright, alright, we'll go tonight after they close, get ourselves a nice long look."

* * *

Later that night, they made their way to the Mystery Spot. Dean picked the lock and they were immediately greeted with a bright neon-green hallway and a long, black spiral painted on the walls and door. Sam pulled out the EMF reader and they moved further into the room.

"Wow. Uncanny," Emily heard Dean say sarcastically. She turned around to see his flashlight pointed at a table, lamp, and ashtray that was attached upside-down to the ceiling. "Find anything?" he asked Sam.

"No," Sam admitted.

"You have any idea what you're looking for?"

"Uh ... yeah," Sam replied, unconvincingly.

"Translation, "no"," Emily muttered.

"No," Sam admitted.

Dean shook his head as they continued looking around the room.

"What the hell are you doing here?" a voice from behind them asked.

All three of them whipped around to see a man pointing a shotgun directly at Dean.

"Whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa," Dean replied, pointing his gun away from the man. "Whoa. We can explain."

"You robbing me?" the man asked, pointing the gun at Sam.

"Look, nobody's robbing you, calm down."

The owner noticed Dean, putting his gun down and pointed the shotgun at him again. "Don't move!" he yelled.

"Just putting the gun down," Dean informed the man.

There was a loud bang as the owner fired his shotgun and Dean immediately fell to the floor.

"Dean!" Sam and Emily yelled simultaneously, running to Dean, who was struggling to breathe.

"Hey!" Sam cried out. He looked at the owner. "Call 911!"

"I—I didn't mean to—" the owner stammered.

"Now!" Sam yelled and the owner left.

Sam looked back at his brother. "Hey, hey, oh, no, no, no ... not like this..." he cried.

"Dean, come on," Emily tried, knowing it would do no good, "stay with us, okay?"

Dean suddenly went still, his eyes closing as Sam held him in his arms.

Sam looked at Emily in a panic, then back to his brother. "Dean," Sam said frantically.

* * *

**February 5th, 2008**

The next morning, Emily was woken by the sound of "Heat of the Moment" playing on the radio. She sat up to see Dean sitting on the edge of the bed, tying his shoes. Sam was sitting up in the bed next to them, eyeing Dean curiously. Glancing over at the clock, she noticed that it was 7:30 in the morning.

"Rise and shine, Sammy!" Dean greeted happily. When Sam didn't reply, he pointed to the radio. "Dude. Asia."

"Dean," Sam finally said, staring intently at his brother.

"Oh, come on, you love this song and you know it," Dean argued, turning up the music bopping his head to the song.

Emily watched the interaction between the brothers. ' _Okay,_ ' she thought, ' _Sam looks like he doesn't know what's going on, which could mean that Dean just died. God, that sounds weird to think. Okay, focus Emily. You obviously don't remember Dean dying, but you do remember who's behind this. Maybe you can help Sam out a bit so that he doesn't have to watch Dean die a hundred times.'_

Emily watched Sam watch Dean gargle his water after brushing his teeth. At Sam's lack of reaction, Dean turned to his brother.

"What?"

Sam shook his head. "I don't know."

"You all right?" Dean asked.

"I think I—" Sam paused for a moment. "Man, I had a weird dream."

"Yeah?" Dean asked, wiping the toothpaste water from his mouth. "Clowns or midgets?"

' _Okay,_ ' Emily thought again, ' _it's definitely the first time Dean has died in this episode._ '

They finished getting ready and headed down to the diner, finding a booth. Dean pointed to a picture on the wall behind him.

"Hey. Tuesday. Pig in a poke," he beamed.

"It's Tuesday?" Sam asked, bewildered.

"Yeah," Dean nodded.

A waitress, whose name tag read Doris, came up to their table. "Are you three ready?"

"Yes, I'll have the special, side of bacon and a coffee."

"Can I get some french toast and a glass of orange juice, please?"

Sam stared at Emily. "Uh, nothing for me, thanks," Sam said after a brief moment.

Doris smiled. "Let me know if you change your mind."

"I'm telling you, Sam, this job is small fry," Dean told his brother." We should be spending our time hunting down Bela."

Dean noticed his brother staring after the waitress and snapped his fingers. "Hey. You with me?"

"What?" Sam asked, snapping back to attention.

"You sure you feel okay?"

Sam sighed. "You don't—you don't remember? Any of this?"

Dean shook his head. "Remember what?"

"This," Sam gestured around. "Today. Like it's—like it's ... happened before?"

"You mean like déjà vu?" Dean asked.

"No, I mean like, like it's happened before. Emily, you know what I'm talking about, right?"

" _Groundhog Day_?" Emily guessed.

"Yes, exactly," Sam agreed.

Doris walked up to their table, with a glass of orange juice, a coffee, and some hot sauce.

"Coffee, black, orange juice and some hot sauce for the—" the hot sauce began to wobble on the tray, before falling off, "Oops! Crap!"

Sam reached his hand out, catching the hot sauce as it fell. He stared at the bottle in his hand, before giving it back to Doris.

"Thanks," Doris said in amazement as she put the bottle on the table.

"Nice reflexes," Dean said.

Sam didn't reply.

The three of them finished their breakfast and, after paying, left the diner.

"Sam, I'm sorry, but I don't know what the hell you're talking about," Dean said as they walked down the street.

"Okay, look. Yesterday was Tuesday, right?" Sam asked. "But today is Tuesday too."

"No, yesterday was Monday, February 4th, Sam," Emily replied.

"So you don't believe me?!" Sam asked in frustration.

Dean laughed, accidentally colliding with a girl holding a stack of papers.

"Excuse me," the girl said, before walking off in the opposite direction.

"Look, I'm just saying that it's crazy, you know, I mean, even for us crazy," Dean argued. "Dingo ate my baby crazy. Hey, maybe it was another of your psychic premonitions."

"No, no way, way too vivid. Okay, look, we were at the Mystery Spot, and then—" Sam hesitated.

"And then what?"

"Then I woke up," Sam finally said. He stopped his brother as they passed by a couple of movers who were trying to get a full desk through a doorway. "Wait a minute! The Mystery Spot. You think maybe it—"

"Maybe what?" Dean asked.

Sam signed. "We gotta check that place out. Look, just – go with me on this, okay?"

Dean finally caved. "All right, all right, we'll go tonight, after close, get ourselves a nice long look."

Sam suddenly turned to his brother. "Wait, what? No."

"Why not?" Dean asked.

"Uhh," Sam hesitated, "– Let's just go now. Right now. Business hours, nice and crowded."

Dean stared in disbelief at his younger brother. "My God, you're a freak."

"Dean," Sam snapped.

"Okay!" Dean said, throwing his hands up in exasperation. "Whatever. We'll go now."

Dean started to take a few steps forward, looking to his right as he entered the street. Emily suddenly remembered the car and grabbed Dean's shirt, pulling him to safety as a car sped directly through the spot he had just been standing at.

Emily panted, looking at a shocked Sam. "I believe you."

"What?" Sam asked.

Emily pulled Sam to the side, leaving a shocked Dean standing on the sidewalk. "I said, I believe you. I don't remember what happened for you yesterday, or today, or whenever, but I do know what's going on."

"You realize that makes no sense, right?"

"Yeah, well, neither does 'Yesterday was Tuesday but today is Tuesday too,'" Emily shrugged. "Let me guess, we went to the Mystery Spot at night and the owner shot accidentally Dean because he thought we were robbing him?"

Sam stared at her in disbelief. "That really happened?"

Emily nodded. "Yeah. And he would have gotten hit by that car if I didn't pull him out of the way. I don't remember Dean getting shot. But I do know what's going on and I want to help, if I can."

"Okay, well, how do we stop it?" Sam asked. "More importantly, who's behind it?"

"The Trickster," Emily replied. "The same one you guys hunted last time, at that school. He's made it so that Dean keeps dying on this day. Over and over again, different ways each time."

"But we killed that guy."

Emily shook her head. "No, you didn't."

Before Sam could say anything else, there was a loud yell heard from where Dean was left standing. Sam and Emily looked over to see Dean lying on the sidewalk. The tip of an arrow lodged directly into his heart.

"Dean!" Sam yelled, running to his brother.

"Shit!" Emily yelled, running after Sam.

"Dean, no, no, no," Sam picked his brother up, looking at the arrow. "Come on! Dean."

Dean didn't respond.

"Hey. Dean. Dean. Dean."

"Catch me up when you wake up," Emily said frantically, hoping to finish before the day reset. "Trust me, I'll believe you."

Sam nodded, looking back at his dead brother with pleading eyes.

* * *

**February 5th, 2008**

The next morning, Emily was woken by the sound of "Heat of the Moment" playing on the radio. She sat up to see Dean sitting on the edge of the bed, tying his shoes. Sam was sitting up in the bed next to them, eyeing Dean curiously. Glancing over at the clock, she noticed that it was 7:30 in the morning.

"Rise and shine, Sammy!" Dean greeted happily. When Sam didn't reply, he pointed to the radio. "Dude. Asia."

Sam's eyes fell on Emily, his gaze getting hard. When Dean went into the bathroom, he walked over to her and muttered one word. " _Groundhog Day_."

Emily instantly knew what he meant and her eyes got wide. "Crap," she sighed. "How many times?"

"Just twice so far," Sam replied. "Shot by a gun and by an arrow."

"Wait, an arrow?" Emily asked. "In the episode, he got hit by a car."

"You pulled him out of the way of the car and told me what was going on, and then he got shot by an arrow. You said you didn't remember what had happened the last time."

Emily shook her head. "I don't. But I've watched this episode a million times. I know it like the back of my hand. Did I tell you who was doing it?"

Sam nodded. "The Trickster."

"Janitor from the school?"

Sam nodded again.

"Okay, that's good. By the way, that guy that went missing? Trickster dropped him into a-" she scrunched up her face, thinking for a moment, "wormhole, I think it was."

"Do you remember where the Trickster is now?"

Emily nodded. "It's the guy eating pancakes at the bar in the diner."

Dean came out of the bathroom. "You guys ready to go grab some breakfast?"

"Uh, yeah," Sam nodded. "I'll meet you guys outside. I just gotta grab something."

Dean stared after his brother, before shrugging and walking outside. Sam stopped Emily before she could follow him. "Make sure nothing happens to him," he instructed her.

The girl nodded before following Dean outside.

"What was that about?" Dean asked Emily as the motel door shut behind them.

Emily merely shrugged. "Who knows?" she asked.

A moment later, Sam came out of the room, carrying a brown paper bag. "Let's go."

Emily immediately followed while Dean stared at the bag Sam was holding, before following as well.

On the way to the diner, Sam and Emily decided to try and catch Dean up.

"Come again?" Dean asked.

"Sam's caught in a time loop," Emily repeated.

"Like ' _Groundhog Day_ '?"

"Exactly."

They reached the diner, finding a booth. Sam looked over to the man eating pancakes at the bar, not taking his eyes off him.

"Hey. Tuesday. Pig in a poke," Dean exclaimed, pointing to a poster on the wall behind him.

A waitress came up to them. "Are you three ready?"

"He'll take the special, side of bacon, coffee, black. She'll have french toast and a glass of orange juice. Nothing for me, thanks," Sam replied firmly.

Doris stared at him for a moment. "You got it."

"Sammy, I get all tingly when you take control like that," Dean joked.

"This isn't funny," Emily argued.

"Yeah, quit screwing around, Dean," Sam snapped, eyes not leaving the man as he clutched the bag under the table.

Nothing much was said until the waitress brought the food over.

"Coffee, black, orange juice and some hot sauce for the—" the hot sauce began to wobble on the tray, before falling off, "Oops! Crap!"

Sam reached his hand out, catching the hot sauce as it fell. He barely looked at is as he put it down on the table.

"Nice reflexes," Dean said, impressed.

"So you think you're caught in some kind of what, again?" Dean asked, stuffing his face full of bacon."

"Eat your breakfast," Sam ordered.

Dean shrugged, shoving more bacon into his mouth. Finally, the man got up and walked out of the diner. Sam got up and followed, Emily close behind.

"What's in the bag?" Dean asked as he followed them out, tossing some money on the table before doing so.

Sam walked quickly ahead of Emily, pulling a wooden stake out of the bag. They followed the man up the street, leading a confused Dean along, before Sam finally caught up to the man, slamming him into a fence and putting the tip of the wooden stake at his throat.

"Hey!" the man cried out.

"I know who you are," Sam sneered. "Or should I say, what."

"Oh my god, please don't kill me," The man whimpered.

"Uh, Sam?" Dean asked. Emily held out a hand, stopping him from saying any more.

"It didn't take me very long to figure it out," Sam snarled.

"What?"

"Not when Emily there was here to help me out," Sam gestured his head towards Emily, who waved sheepishly. "She told me all about what you really are."

"Yeah, sure, okay," the man replied nervously, glancing at the stake, "just put the stake down!"

"Sam, maybe you should—" Dean tried again.

"No!" Sam cut him off. "There's only one creature powerful enough to do what you're doing. Making reality out of nothing, sticking people in time loops—in fact, you'd pretty much have to be a god. You'd have to be a Trickster."

"Mister, my name is Ed Coleman, my wife's name is Amelia, I got two kids, for crying out loud I sell ad space—"

Sam cut him off. "Don't lie to me! I know what you are! We should have killed you last time!"

The man smirked, finally morphing into his usual, Trickster look. "Yeah, but, you didn't."

"Why are you doing this?" Sam demanded.

"You're joking, right?" The Trickster scoffed. "You chuckleheads tried to kill me last time. Why wouldn't I do this? Don't know how you figured me out so quickly though."

Sam didn't say anything but looked over at Emily. The Trickster followed his gaze. "You told him? Who are you?"

Emily smirked. "Hiya, Gabe."

Gabriel looked shocked. Emily suddenly found Sam and Dean frozen in place as everything seemed to freeze around her and Gabriel got out of Sam's grasp. "Who are you?"

"My name's Emily."

"Uh-huh," Gabe nodded. "Anything else? Like how you know who I am?"

"That, I'm not going to tell you."

Gabriel stared at her for a moment. "You're human," he finally said.

"And you're the archangel, Gabriel," Emily confirmed. "We done here?"

Gabriel shook his head. "Not even close. What else do you know?"

Emily sighed. "I know that you fled heaven because Michael and Lucifer were fighting. You came to Earth, pretended to be a trickster, and the other pagan gods know you as Loki."

"How do you know about me?" Gabe asked.

"No one told me if that's what you want to know. And I won't tell Sam and Dean either."

"Not good enough," Gabriel stepped forward. "How do you know about me."

"Okay okay," Emily put her hands up defensively. "I'm from an alternate universe where all of this is a TV show. You can believe me or not, but it's the truth."

Gabriel stared at her again, and Emily could tell he was reading her mind. Finally, he stared at her in shock. "You're telling the truth," he finally realized.

Emily nodded. "I'm also from the year 2016. I woke up in this universe almost a full year ago. Been here ever since."

"Who brought you here?"

Emily shrugged. "I honestly don't know. Still trying to figure that out."

Gabriel sighed. "Well, guess the cat's out then." He pointed a finger at her. "If you tell Sam and Dean about this-"

Emily cut the archangel off. "Relax, if I was going to tell them, I would have by now. There's already a lot that I'm keeping from them now anyways. The fact that you're not really a trickster is one of them."

Gabriel seemed satisfied. "I'll help you," he finally said after a moment.

"What?"

"I said I'll help you," Gabriel repeated. "I'm sure you were brought here for a reason. I'll help you figure out what that is. But only if you keep my identity a secret until either I tell Sam and Dean myself or they figure it out on their own." Gabriel held out his hand.

"Deal," Emily agreed, shaking the archangel's hand.

Gabriel looked back at the still frozen Sam. "Act naturally when everything starts moving again. Don't let it seem like anything weird happened."

Emily nodded. "You got it."

Gabriel looked at her. "What did you say your name was again?"

"Emily."

"That's not your real name though, right?"

Emily shook her head. "Emily is the name my foster mom at the orphanage gave me. I don't know what name my parents gave me though."

"Hmm," Gabriel nodded, not saying anything else. There was a flutter of wings, and suddenly, he was back in Sam's grasp. Gabriel gave a wink to Emily before time began to move again.

"And Hasselback, what about him?" Dean asked.

"That putz? He said he didn't believe in wormholes, so I dropped him in one," the Trickster laughed. "Then you guys showed up. I made you the second you hit town."

"So this is fun for you?" Sam asked. "Killing Dean over and over again?"

"One, yes. It is fun," Gabriel nodded. "And two? This is so not about killing Dean. This joke is on you, Sam. Watching your brother die, every day? Forever?"

"You son of a bitch."

"You can't save your brother. No matter what."

"Oh yeah? I kill you, this all ends now," Sam pushed the stake against Gabriel's throat.

"Oh-oh, hey, whoa!" Gabe cried out in fake panic. "Okay. Look. I was just playing around. You can't take a joke, fine. You're out of it. Tomorrow, you'll wake up and it'll be Wednesday. I swear."

"You're lying," Sam insisted.

"If I am, you know where to find me," Gabe insisted. "Having pancakes at the diner."

Sam looked back and forth between Dean and Emily, and then returned his gaze to Gabriel. "No. Easier to just kill you."

"Sorry, kiddo. Can't have that." With that, Gabriel snapped his fingers, giving Emily a final wink before he disappeared.

* * *

**February 6th, 2008**

Emily woke up to the sound of the radio playing 'Back in Time'. She sat up and looked around. Dean was brushing his teeth in the bathroom, while Sam looked around happily.

"What, you gonna sleep all day?"

"No Asia," Sam realized.

"Yeah, I know." Dean pointed his toothbrush towards the radio. "This station sucks."

Sam glanced over at the clock. "It's Wednesday!"

' _Oh thank god,_ ' Emily sighed.

Dean nodded. "Yeah, usually comes after Tuesday," he informed his brother. "Turn that thing off, will you?"

"What, are you kidding me?" Sam grinned, walking up to his brother. "This isn't the most beautiful song you've ever heard?"

"No. How many Tuesdays did you have?"

Sam threw on a long-sleeved shirt over his t-shirt. "More than I should have. Hey, wait. What do you remember?"

Dean thought for a moment. "I remember you were pretty whacked out of it yesterday and then I remember running into the Trickster. But no, that's about it."

Sam turned to Emily. "What about you?"

"Everything," was all Emily said.

Sam nodded. "All right. Pack your stuff, let's get the hell out of town. Now."

"No breakfast?" Dean asked.

"No breakfast," Sam confirmed.

Dean sighed. "I'll go pack the car." With that, he walked out of the motel room, taking his bag with him.

"Hey, uh," Sam asked once they were alone. "How many Tuesdays did I go through in the original version of the episode that you weren't in?"

"About a hundred," Emily answered truthfully. "I couldn't let you go through that. Not if I had a chance to do something about it."

"Thanks," Sam smiled. "I appreciate that."

Emily smiled up at the younger Winchester.

**BANG!**

Sam and Emily looked at each other in a panic. "Dean!" Sam yelled, before running out the door, Emily close behind.

"No, no, no no no," Sam cried as he ran down the stairs.

Emily peered over the railing. There, on the ground by the Impala, was Dean with a fresh bullet wound in his chest.

* * *

Emily ran towards Sam, who had already taken his brother into his arms. "Not today," Sam was saying, "not today, this isn't supposed to happen today, come on—" Dean remained motionless. "I'm supposed to wake up."

Sam glared at Emily. "I thought you said this was over."

"Okay, first of all, I never said that," Emily defended herself. "And second, I was caught up in the moment. I forgot, okay? I'm sorry."

"No," Sam shook his head. "Not good enough." Grabbing Emily by the arm, he tossed her into the backseat of the Impala.

* * *

Emily was too scared to speak as she watched Sam put Dean's body into the trunk of the Impala. She didn't say a single word as Sam got into the driver's seat, and she refused to make eye contact with him as he drove her to Bobby's place. Sam didn't say a word to her as she got out of the car and grabbed her bag, speeding off just as she closed the door, leaving her in a cloud of dust.

"Emily?" Bobby asked as she walked through the front door. "What happened?"

"It's Sam," she admitted. "The Trickster killed Dean and Sam blames me."

"What?"

Emily told Bobby everything that had happened, minus the Trickster's actual identity.

"Balls!" Bobby yelled when she finished. "Any idea where Sam went?"

"I don't know," Emily answered. "Off to hunt down the Trickster, probably."

Bobby led her into the study, handing her a book. "Get reading, then. We got a lot of work to do."

* * *

**Six months later**

Emily and Bobby spent the next several months trying to find the Trickster, with no luck. Every once in awhile, Emily would wake up to hear Bobby leaving Sam a voicemail of their progress, but they didn't seem to be getting any closer. Finally, Emily woke up to Bobby packing a bag.

"I found him," Bobby told the girl as she came down the stairs one morning.

"Where?"

"Broward County, Florida. Looks like he decided to go back and have some more fun."

Emily nodded. "I'll go pack a bag."

"Actually, I think it'd be better if you stayed here. No offense, but I don't think Sam's really up for seeing you."

Emily nodded, a little hurt. "That's fine. I'll stay here, then."

Emily watched as Bobby put his bag into his car and drove off. With a sigh as she watched the car disappear, Emily turned and headed back up the stairs to her room.

It had been about an hour since Bobby had left when Emily heard a flutter of wings in front of her. She looked up from her book to see Gabriel leaning against the wall.

"What are you doing here?" she asked. "I thought Sam and Bobby went to go find you."

"They did," Gabriel smirked. "Sam's talking to a clone right now."

"So what are you doing here?" Emily asked again.

"I told you I would help you," Gabriel told her. "I found something out."

"What is it?" Emily asked, curiously.

"Your name? Your birth name?" Gabriel asked. "It's not Emily."

"What?" Emily breathed.

"It's Amelia. Amelia Jones." Gabriel tossed a stack of papers at her, which she caught. "I knew you looked familiar when I saw you all those months ago, but I couldn't put my finger on it. Until I saw that." He pointed at a newspaper clipping on the top of the pile.

Emily read the paper. "Local couple found dead in their home. Four-month-old daughter missing." Underneath the title was a picture of a couple holding a baby that looked to be only a few months old. She looked up at the archangel. "This is dated April 1989."

"That it is," Gabriel nodded.

"But how do you know this is me?"

"I saw it in your mind," the archangel admitted. "You don't remember it now, but I saw the woman in that picture holding you as a baby."

"But this doesn't make any sense," Emily stammered. "That would mean that-"

"That you're actually from this world?"

"Yeah," Emily nodded. "But I'm not, right?"

"That I don't have an answer to, yet," Gabriel told the shocked girl. "If you want me to keep looking, I can."

"Wait, can't angels travel through time?"

"We can," Gabriel nodded.

"Can you take me back to this night?" Emily asked. "Maybe I can see what happened for myself."

Gabriel cocked an eyebrow. "You really wanna do that?"

Emily nodded, standing up. "If it means I finally get to learn about my past, then yes."

"As you wish." With that, Gabriel snapped his fingers.

* * *

Emily suddenly found herself standing in the middle of a living room. A man was sitting on the couch, reading a newspaper, while a woman walked around the room, cradling a baby in her arms.

"They can't see us," Gabriel told Emily. "This is the night they died."

"I think she's finally asleep," Emily heard the woman whispered. "I'm gonna go put her in her crib."

The man nodded, turning back to the paper. Emily watched as the woman carried the baby up the stairs.

"HENRY!" A panicked scream echoed through the silent house. The man, Henry, threw down his paper and rushed up the stairs.

Gabriel flew Emily up the stairs as Henry ran down the hall towards his wife. The woman was standing in the room, clutching the baby close to her, as another man stood at the end of the hall.

"I don't know who you are, but you need to get out of my house right now before I call the cops," Henry fumed.

Emily watched as the man at the end of the hallway sneered. "Or what?"

The woman, who had managed to calm down, slowly handed a now crying baby to Henry. "Take the baby and get out of here," she ordered.

Henry took the baby from his wife. "What? No, I'm not leaving."

"I'm not arguing! Get our baby out of here now!"

The woman pulled out a knife and lunged at the man standing down the hallway. The man flicked his wrist, and she was sent flying back in the opposite direction.

"You know you can't defeat me, Jessie," the man snarled. He flicked his wrist again, and a snap was heard. Jess fell to the floor in a heap, no longer moving.

"Who...what...what are you?" Henry began backing away.

The man blinked, and his eyeballs turned a solid black color, not answering the question. With another flick of his wrist, Henry was thrown back as well, dropping the baby in the process. Emily watched helplessly as the baby was thrown backward.

"No!" She cried out.

"Amelia!" Henry scrambled to his feet, only to be thrown back again by another invisible force.

Emily watched in confusion as a yellow ring appeared on the ground, sucking everything around it, including the baby, inside.

"What the hell?" Emily asked in disbelief.

"No!" the demon screamed.

The man turned back to the man. "Where's my daughter, you bitch?"

"I don't need to answer to you." The demon sneered. With one final flick of his wrist, the man's neck snapped, and he fell to the floor just like his wife.

Another flutter of wings later, and Emily found herself back at Bobby's house. She slowly sank to the floor, unable to say anything out of shock.

"You okay?" Gabriel asked, kneeling next to her.

Emily shook her head. "No," she admitted. She looked up at the archangel. "Those were my parents. My mom was a hunter and I just watched her and my dad get killed by a demon. And what was that ring that appeared on the ground?"

"My guess," Gabriel replied, "is that it was something that brought you to the world you grew up in."

"But why am I back now?"

"That, I don't have an answer to. Maybe if you ever have a chance to meet my dad, you can ask him." The archangel looked at the small girl. "You gonna be okay?"

"I think so," Emily nodded. "Might take a while to wrap my head around all of this."

"Good," Gabe nodded. "Because I hate to do this, but I gotta get you guys back to that Wednesday Dean died. Sam's insisting." He rolled his eyes, which made Emily laugh a bit.

Gabriel stood up, helping Emily to her feet. "Let's get you back, yeah?"

Emily nodded.

Gabriel raised his hand to snap his fingers. "Oh, and don't worry, Sammy won't remember that he was mad at you." With that, Gabriel snapped his fingers.

* * *

**February 6th, 2008**

Emily found herself waking up in the motel room at Broward County, Florida to the radio playing "Back in Time." She slowly sat up, looking around cautiously, wondering if what had just happened was real or just a vivid dream.

"What, you gonna sleep all day?" Dean's voice came from the bathroom. He came out, brushing his teeth.

"I know, no Asia. This station sucks."

Emily looked over at Sam. He looked like he didn't know whether to believe what he was seeing or not.

Sam looked over at the clock. "It's Wednesday," he informed his brother.

Dean nodded. "Yeah, usually comes after Tuesday. Turn that thing off."

Sam threw the covers off of himself and threw his brother into a hug.

"Dude, how many Tuesdays did you have?" Dean asked.

"Enough." Sam stopped hugging his brother. "What, uh, what do you remember?"

"I remember you were pretty whacked out of it yesterday," Dean recalled. "I remember getting up with the Trickster. That's about it."

Sam looked back at Emily, and she backed up a tiny bit in fear, but he didn't seem to notice. "What about you?"

"Everything," Emily admitted.

Sam nodded. He patted his brother on the shoulder. "Let's go."

"No breakfast?" Dean asked.

"No breakfast," Sam confirmed.

Dean shrugged. "All right, I'll pack the car."

"Wait," Sam stopped him, "you're not going anywhere alone."

"It's the parking lot, Sam," Dean argued.

"Just—just trust me," Sam insisted.

Emily went into the bathroom to get dressed. She put on a pair of black jeans and a plaid shirt, along with her sneakers before heading back out.

Sam was busy packing his bag as Dean opened the door to the motel and turned back to him.

"Hey, you don't look so good," Dean observed. "Something else happen?"

Sam didn't say anything. "I just had a really weird dream," he finally told his brother.

Dean nodded. "Clowns or midgets?"

Sam looked up at his brother, who grinned. Emily could tell Sam was trying to smile as well as he picked up his bag, following Dean out the door. Emily threw on her jacket before grabbing her bag as well, following the Winchesters to the car.


	6. Jus in Bello

**February 15th, 2008 - Monument Colorado**

Sam, Dean, and Emily ran into Bela's room, shutting the door behind them. They had gotten a tip from Bobby earlier in the day on the Colt's location, and had immediately driven over there. It had been a little over a week since the Mystery Spot encounter. A little over a week since Emily had learned her real name and what had happened to her parents. She hadn't told Sam and Dean about any of it yet. She was working up to it but needed to figure out a way to tell them without revealing Gabriel's identity to the Winchesters.

"Any sign of it?" Dean asked, looking through the drawers.

Sam looked in the safe. "Nothing," he sighed.

Emily dug around in the closet. "Nothing here either," she announced.

"Are you sure this is Bela's room?" Sam asked

Dean held up two wigs, showing them to Sam and Emily. "I'd say so."

A phone that was sitting on the bed began to ring. Dean walked over to it, looking at Sam, who shook his head. Cautiously picking up the phone with two fingers, Dean put the receiver to his ear, not saying anything. After a moment, his expression got firm.

"Where are you?" Dean asked into the phone. There was a pause as Dean listened. "Where?" He snapped. Another pause. "I want it back, Bela… now." Pause. "You understand how many people are gonna die if you do this?" Pause. "Take the only weapon we have against an army of demons and sell it to the highest bidder," Dean said, his voice getting louder. There was another pause. "I know I'm gonna stop you." Pause. "Oh, I'll find you, sweetheart. You know why? Because I have absolutely nothing better to do than to track you down."

Dean listened to Bela speak on the other line, glancing up at Sam and Emily who had been listening to Dean talk on the phone this whole time, his eyes full of worry. He narrowed his eyes in confusion just as the door to Bela's room was kicked down by several police officers.

"Hands in the air!" One of the officers yelled. Sam, Dean, and Emily immediately raised their hands into the air.

"Down on your knees," another officer yelled.

"That bitch!" Dean muttered.

"Turn around! Now!" The first officer said, forcing Sam and Dean to the floor. A third officer came up to Emily, forcing her on the ground as well. The young girl was too shaken up with fear at the moment to protest or say anything. She was being arrested.

"Sam and Dean Winchester, you have the right to remain silent," the first officer spoke as Emily felt the cuffs being put on her wrists. They hurt like hell and it hurt to move her wrists too much.

An officer began reading off their rights. "Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to speak to an attorney and have an attorney present during any questioning. If you cannot afford a lawyer, one will be appointed for you at government expense."

Emily could see a pair of black shoes come into the room. Straining to look up, she saw a man wearing an FBI jacket, standing over the brothers. He looked at Sam and Dean, smirking.

"Hi guys," the man said. "It's been a while."

Sam and Dean looked at each other. Dean turned his head to look at Emily, who had obvious fear in her eyes, before groaning and putting his head on the floor.

The three of them were led to a SWAT van, handcuffs on their wrists.

"Hey look," Dean said suddenly when they reached the van. "Take us if you want, but let her go." He nodded his head towards Emily. "She had nothing to do with this."

"Orders are orders," the officer barked. "Now move it!"

* * *

The ride to the precinct was quiet. After what felt like hours, they finally stopped moving. The three of them sat in the back of the van, a couple of officers pointing their guns at them, while more shackled Sam and Dean's feet together, leaving Emily in handcuffs only.

Led by an FBI agent and followed by two officers, the Winchesters and Emily walked into the precinct. They stopped at a room where the agent from Bela's room was leaning against a desk, smirking. Two more officers were standing guard while a woman sat at a desk, holding a rosary. The nameplate on her desk read "Nancy Fitzgerald, Secretary."

"Why all the sourpusses?" Dean joked.

"I'll show you to the cells," the FBI agent that led them in said, as he grabbed Dean's arm and pulled him along.

"Hey! Hey! Watch the merchandise!" Dean protested as he was dragged down the hall. Emily's eyes met Nancy's, who was looking at them in fear. "We're not the ones you should be scared of, Nancy," Dean told the girl.

Sam and Dean were led to a cell. A guard opened it up, and they walked inside. Emily began to follow, but she was stopped by another officer.

"Not you," the officer said. "We're putting you in a separate cell." He led Emily to the cell directly across from Sam and Dean and led her in.

After locking the cell, the officers walked away, leaving the three of them alone. Emily sat on the bed and watched as Dean walked to the bed in his and Sam's cell, and Sam walked to the cell door, both almost falling because of the shackles.

"Dean, come on!" Sam yelled.

"All right, all right," Dean looked at the bed. "Sit?"

Sam nodded. "Yeah."

They awkwardly walked around each other before they finally sat down on the bed.

"How we gonna Houdini out of this one?" Dean asked.

Sam sighed. "Good question."

"Emily!" Dean called to the young girl. "How are you holding up?"

"Peachy," Emily replied.

"Hey, don't worry, okay?" Dean asked. "You're gonna be just fine, I promise."

"How do you know?"

"I just do, okay?" Dean assured the girl. "We're in trouble for a hell of a lot more stuff than you are right now, so just stay calm and we'll get you through this. I know you're scared, but you just gotta hold on, alright?"

Emily nodded. "Alright."

* * *

A few minutes later, the agent from Bela's room came up to the cells grabbing a bar on the door to Sam and Dean's cell. He stood there for a moment, looking at the two of them.

"You know what I'm trying to decide?" He finally asked.

Dean scoffed. "I don't know. What? Whether Cialis will help you with your little condition?"

"What to have for dinner tonight." Sam looked up at the agent as he said that. "Steak or lobster. What the hell? Surf and turf. I got a lot to celebrate. I mean, after all, seeing you two in chains…"

"You kinky son of a bitch," Dean joked. "We don't swing that way."

"Now, that's funny," the agent smirked.

"You know, I wouldn't bust out the melted butter just yet. Couldn't catch us at the bank, couldn't keep us in that jail," Dean recounted.

The agent nodded. "You're right. Screwed up. I underestimated you. I didn't count on you being that smart but now I'm ready."

"Yeah, ready to lose us again?" Dean asked.

"Ready like a court order to keep you in a Supermaximum prison in Nevada till trial," the agent informed them. "Ready like isolation in a soundproof, windowless cell, so that between you and me… probably unconstitutional. How's that for ready?"

Dean didn't respond.

Your little friend over there though," he gestured over to Emily. "As soon as we figure out what to do with her, she'll probably go away too. Cause see we don't have her suspected of anything, yet. I'm sure we'll find something though. After all, she's friends with you two."

"She had nothing to do with any of this, okay?" Dean asked. "It was just wrong place, wrong time. Take us if you want, but let her go."

"Take a good look at Sam," the agent continued, ignoring Dean's request, "you two will never see each other again."

Sam and Dean looked up at the agent.

"Aw. Where's that smug smile, Dean?" He smirked. "I want to see it."

Dean shook his head. "You got the wrong guys."

"Oh, yeah. I forgot. You fight monsters," the agent scoffed. "Sorry, Dean. Truth is, your daddy brainwashed you with all that devil talk and no doubt touched you in a bad place. That's all. That's reality."

"Why don't you shut your mouth?" Dean asked.

"Well, guess what. Life sucks. Get a helmet. 'Cause everybody's got a sob story. But not everybody becomes a killer." The sound of a helicopter approaching could be heard nearby. "And now I have two less to worry about." He looked at his watch. "Mm. It's surf and turf time."

Instead of leaving, however, the agent turned to Emily. "You're coming with me," he told her.

"What?" Emily asked. "Why?"

"Gotta get your fingerprints," the man informed her. "Figure out just who you are."

Emily looked at Sam and Dean nervously. Sam nodded to let her know it would be alright, and the agent unlocked her cell, leading her out and to the office.

A man in a black suit was entering the office as Emily and the agent walked down the hall.

"Henriksen," the man greeted. He pointed to Emily, "Who the hell is this?"

"One of the suspects. We found her with Sam and Dean."

"So what the hell is she doing out of the cell?"

"Gotta get her in the system, real quick before we send them away."

"Well, do it fast," the man instructed. "I gotta go talk to our guys." The man walked down the hall to the holding cells, and the agent led Emily to a desk.

"Sit."

Emily sat.

"What's your name?"

Emily was about to answer with the name she had known her whole life but instead decided to try out her real name. "Amelia," she replied. "Amelia Jones."

One of the older officers overheard her. "Did you just say, Amelia Jones?" He asked.

Emily nodded.

"What is so damn fascinating about that name?" Henriksen demanded.

Instead of answering, the officer pulled out a file, showing it to the agent. The file looked several years old.

Henriksen opened the file and looked inside, he looked at Emily, and then back to the file.

"You really expect me to believe," he finally asked, "that you're this baby who went missing twenty years ago?" He showed her the newspaper clipping Gabriel had shown her a week prior.

"I am," Emily nodded. "Can't you do a DNA test or something? I really am her, and that will prove it." She looked between the officer and Henriksen. "Come on, would I really tell you to test me if I wasn't absolutely certain?"

Henriksen looked at her for a moment, and then finally looked at the officer. "Get a sample from her."

The officer took a cheek swab from Emily, putting it in a scanner.

"How long will that take?"

"It can take up to an hour."

A shot was suddenly heard from the holding cells.

"What the hell?" The officer yelled as he started running with them to the cells, leaving Emily alone.

Henriksen pointed at Emily. "Stay with her!"

The officer reluctantly went back to the desk, where Emily was still sitting.

"So tell me, how'd someone like you get caught up with those two in there?" The officer asked.

"It's a long story," Emily sighed. "I was kidnapped a few months ago and Sam and Dean rescued me. I didn't have anywhere to go so they let me stay with them."

"No parents?"

"I grew up in an orphanage," Emily informed the man. "No parents to go to."

"Hmm," the officer nodded. He was about to say something when the computer beeped. The officer looked at it, and shock flashed across his face.

"What?" Emily asked.

The officer turned the monitor to face her, and Emily read what was on the screen.

' **DNA Results:**

 **Name:** Amelia Jones

 **Birthday:** January 18th, 1989

 **Parents:** Jessica and Henry Jones (Deceased)

 **Missing since:** April 22nd, 1989'

"Holy shit," Emily breathed.

"Looks like you were right," the officer told her. "It only took getting arrested for us to find you." He turned the monitor back around. "Where have you been all this time?"

"In an orphanage in Los Angeles," Emily replied.

' _In another universe, in the future_ ,' she thought. She pointed to the monitor. "Would it be alright if I got a copy of that?"

"I'll see what I can do," the officer told her.

The sound of a large explosion could be heard from outside.

"What was that?" Emily asked.

"Wait here," the officer instructed. He left Emily sitting at the desk as he ran to the door, peering out, his gun pointed to the ceiling.

"Shit!" The officer swore.

Henriksen came running into the room. "What the hell's going on?" He asked.

"I think everyone's dead out there," the officer said. "Helicopter looks like it exploded."

"Let me see," Henriksen pushed the officer out of the way, peering out the window. "Alright," he finally said, "get your men ready. Nobody gets those boys out!" The agent looked at Emily. "And get her back in her cell. It's too dangerous for her to be out here right now."

The officer led Emily back to the holding cell.

"What's going on?" The girl asked.

"Not sure, but you'll be safe in here." The officer took off her handcuffs before leading her back into the cell. Sam and Dean were still in the other one, cleaning Dean's bullet wound.

"What happened?" Sam asked as the officer left.

"They did a DNA test on me."

"But they didn't get anything right?" Dean asked. "I mean, you're not from this world so there's no way they'd find anything."

"Well, apparently they did," Emily sighed. "Turns out I actually am-

Before Emily could continue, the lights went out in the building.

"Well that can't be good," Dean muttered.

Henriksen came back in. "What's the plan?" He asked. "Kill everyone in the station, bust you three out?"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Dean asked.

"I'm talking about your psycho friends. I'm talking about a blood bath."

"Okay, I promise you – whoever's out there is not here to help us," Dean groaned.

"Look, you got to believe us," Sam continued. "Everyone here is in terrible danger."

"You think?" The agent scoffed.

"Why don't you let us out of here so we can save your asses?" Dean snapped.

"From what?" Henriksen asked. Sam and Dean looked at each other. "You gonna say "demons"?" He pointed his gun to the ceiling. "Don't you dare say "demons". Let me tell you something. You should be a lot more scared of me." Henriksen gave them a final look before leaving again.

"How's your shoulder, Dean?" Emily asked.

Dean took a pad of toilet paper off his wound. It had a large stain of blood on it. "It's awesome," he groaned, tossing the pad away. "I'll live. You know, if we get out of here alive. So you got a plan?" Dean asked his brother.

Sam checked Dean's wound as he grimaced in pain. He looked down the hall, and Emily followed his gaze to see the secretary, Nancy, watching them from around the corner.

"Hey," Dean whispered to his brother, pointing to Nancy.

"Hey," Sam said to Nancy. Nancy began to back away.

"Hey, uh, please," Sam continued. "Please. We need your help. It's… it's Nancy. Nancy, right?" Nancy didn't reply. "Nancy, my… my brother's been shot. He's… He's bleeding really bad. Do you think maybe you could get us a towel? Please? Just one clean towel?" At Nancy's silence, Sam continued. "Look. Look at us. We're not the bad guys. I swear."

Dean gave Nancy a small smile and she left. Dean sighed. "Nice try."

Sam sighed again and then turned back around to see that Nancy had returned, holding a towel. He sighed in relief. "Thank you."

Nancy slowly began to approach the cell. Sam reached out his handcuffed hands. "It's okay," he assured her.

Nancy reached the towel through the bars, while Sam smiled at her. Suddenly, Emily saw Sam grab Nancy's arm and drag her against the bars.

"What are you doing?" Emily yelled.

Nancy screamed and a guard ran in with a rifle.

"Let her go! Let her go!" The guard ordered, pointing the rifle at Sam.

Sam let go of Nancy and she quickly backed away.

"You're okay, Nance?" The guard asked, his gun aimed at Sam. He looked back at the younger Winchester. "Try something again, get shot. And not in the arm."

"Okay."

The guard and Nancy left. Dean hit his brother in the arm. "What the hell was that?"

Sam held up Nancy's rosary in response. Dean chuckled.

Seeing no other option, Sam dropped the rosary into the toilet. "Exorcizo te, creatura aquae. In nomine dei patris onmipotintes," he chanted.

"So, what if a demon comes into my cell?" Emily asked.

"Don't worry, we got you covered," Sam told her.

Dean pressed the towel against his wound. The Winchesters sat down on the bed together.

"We're like sitting ducks in here," Sam sighed.

Dean leaned against the wall. "Yeah, I know. Would it kill these cops to BRING US A SNACK?!"

"How many you figure are out there?" Sam asked.

"I don't know," Dean replied. "Emily, you got any idea?"

"No clue. Dozens, I think."

"Hey, uh, what was it that you were gonna tell us earlier?" Sam asked.

"Oh, uh," Emily sighed. "So, it turns out that I actually am from this world."

Sam and Dean stared at her. "What did you say?" They asked simultaneously.

"Yeah," Emily sighed. "Turns out my real name is Amelia Jones. I was born in 1989 and four months after I was born, my parents were murdered and I went missing."

"I thought you told us you grew up in an alternate universe," Dean said, raising an eyebrow.

"I did," Emily nodded. "I guess I somehow ended up in a world where your lives are a TV show, grew up there, and now I'm back."

Dean nodded. "Hmmm. So, Amelia huh? Nice name."

"Yeah," Emily nodded. "I kinda like it."

"So should we start calling you that then?" Sam asked.

"You can call me whatever you want," Emily replied. "I'm still trying to wrap my head around all of this."

"It'll take us some getting used to, as well," Sam said, "but first we need to figure out what to do about those demons. However many they are, they could be possessing anyone. Anyone could just walk right in."

"It's kind of wild, right?" Dean laughed. "I mean it's like they're coming for us. They've never done that before." The older Winchester smiled. "It's like we got a contract on us. Think it's because we're so awesome? I think it's 'cause we're so awesome."

One of the guards came into the holding cell area.

"Well, howdy, there, sheriff," Dean greeted in a southern accent.

The guard unlocked Emily's cell and then turned around to unlock Sam and Dean's.

"Uh, sheriff?" Sam asked as Emily stepped out of her cell.

"It's time to go, boys," the guard said, not looking at them.

Sam and Dean took a step back as the guard walked into the cell. "Uh… you know what?" Dean said hesitantly. "We're – we're just comfy right here. But thank you."

Henriksen came into the room. "What do you think you're doing?" He asked.

"We're not just gonna sit around here and wait to die," the guard told him. "We're gonna make a run for it."

"It's safer here," Henriksen told him.

"There's a SWAT facility in Boulder," the guard replied.

Henriksen stepped inside the cell. "We're not going anywhere."

"The hell we're not," the guard yelled.

Before anyone could react, Henriksen pulled out a gun and shot the guard in the face. Emily immediately ran into Sam and Dean's cell as they grabbed Henriksen and began to grapple with him. Emily grabbed his gun arm and wrestled the gun from his hands, giving it to Dean. Sam dunked Henriksen's head into the toilet and began to perform an exorcism. Another guard ran into the room and pointed his gun at Dean. Dean pointed Henriksen's gun at the guard.

"Stay back!" Dean ordered.

Henriksen lifted his face out of the water and began yelling. Sam shoved his face back under and continued the exorcism. Nancy ran around the corner.

"Hurry up!" Dean yelled to his brother.

Henriksen lifted his head again. "It's too late," he shouted. "I already called them. They're already coming."

Sam shoved his head back under the water and finished the exorcism. Black smoke suddenly shot out of Henriksen's mouth and went into the air vent.

Henriksen fell to the floor, not moving.

"Is he… is he dead?" Nancy asked cautiously.

"I don't think so," Emily said.

Henriksen began to cough, regaining consciousness.

"Henriksen! Hey. Is that you in there?" Sam asked.

Henriksen sat on the bed, breathing heavily. "I… I shot the sheriff," he finally said.

Dean paused. "But you didn't shoot the deputy." He smiled at his joke, but nobody smiled back.

"Five minutes ago, I was fine," Henriksen recalled, "and then…"

"Let me guess," Dean interrupted. "Some nasty black smoke jammed itself down your throat?"

Henriksen looked at the Winchester.

"You were possessed," Sam informed him.

"Possessed, like… possessed?"

"You believe us now?" Emily asked.

"I owe the biggest, "I told you so" ever," Dean smirked, handing Henriksen his gun back.

Henriksen stood up. "Officer Amici. Keys..."

Officer Amici handed Henriksen the keys to Sam and Dean's cuffs, and unlocked them, letting them fall to the floor.

"All right," Henriksen addressed the three hunters, "so how do we survive?"

"We're gonna need paint," Sam said.

"And I'm gonna need floorplans of the building, if you've got it," Dean continued.

"We're also gonna need salt," Emily finished. "Lots and lots of salt."

"There's road salt in the storeroom," Nancy spoke up.

"Okay, good," Dean said. "Emily, why don't you go help them with that."

"Let's get that wound of yours taken care of first," Henriksen said, pointing to Dean's shoulder.

* * *

The six of them walked back into the office. Henriksen gave Dean the blueprint of the building and he began to look it over while Nancy tended to his wound.

"Got some spray paint, for you," officer Amici told Sam, handing him a couple of cans.

"Perfect," Sam said. He took the cans and walked down the hall to begin making a devils trap.

"We'll go get the salt," Emily said.

Henriksen, Amici, and Emily headed down to the storage room.

"I thought you said your name was Amelia," Henriksen told the young girl.

"It is," Emily told him. "But Emily is the name I've known my whole life since I was found at the orphanage I was found at. It's the name I've known my whole life. I didn't learn my real name until about a week ago. To be honest, when I told you that name, I wasn't entirely sure myself that I really was her, but I had to check."

"So what do you prefer we call you?" Officer Amici asked.

"You can call me Emily or Amelia if you want. They're both me."

The three people grabbed bags of salt, bringing them into the office.

"Hey, where's my car?" Dean asked. His shoulder was wrapped up in a bandage.

"Impound lot out back," the officer informed him.

Dean nodded. "Okay." He started walking towards the doors.

"Wait," Dean looked at the officer who had just spoken. "You're not going out there?"

Dean nodded. "Yeah, I got to get something out of my trunk."

Dean headed outside.

"We need to salt all the windows and doors," Emily informed everyone in the room. "It'll keep the demons from just coming in."

They began lining the windows and doors with salt while Sam continued drawing devil's traps.

"They're coming!" Dean's voice could be heard from down the hall.

From down another hall, Nancy screamed.

"Hurry," Dean yelled.

* * *

Everyone ran to the office, where Henriksen was. Dean tossed Sam and Emily shotguns. Black smoke began to surround the windows. The lights flickered and the building got darker. Nancy clutched her cross necklace and Emily noticed.

"Hey," she assured the woman, "it'll be okay."

Nancy gave Emily a small smile.

Dust rained down from the ceiling as the building began to shake. The shaking got more violent until it finally stopped completely.

Sam looked around. "Everybody okay?"

"Define "okay"," Henriksen said.

"All right, everybody needs to put these on." Dean pulled out several protection necklaces, giving one to the officer, Henriksen, and Nancy. "They'll keep you from being possessed. There you go."

"What about you three?"

Sam and Dean showed their protection symbol tattoos on their chest, while Emily showed her own necklace.

"Smart," Henriksen nodded. "How long you had those?"

"Not long enough."

They waited inside the building for what felt like a long time. Henriksen looked at the sheriff's nameplate while Dean watched him.

"Hey, that's Jenna Rubner," Nancy spoke up.

Sam and Emily walked up to her and looked outside. A large group of people possessed by demons was standing outside.

"That's not Jenna anymore," Sam told Nancy.

"That's where all that black demon smoke went?" Nancy asked.

"Yep," Emily nodded. "Come on." She led Nancy away from the window.

Henriksen picked up a salt round. "Shotgun shells full of salt."

"Whatever works," Dean shrugged, loading his gun.

"Fighting off monsters with condiments," Henriksen took off his tie and picked up his gun. "So. Turns out demons are real." He began loading his gun with salt rounds.

"FYI, ghosts are real too. So are werewolves, vampires, changelings, evil clowns that eat people," Dean listed.

"Hey Dean," Emily spoke up, "I don't think that's helping."

Dean nodded. "If it makes you feel better," he told Henriksen with a smile, "Bigfoot's a hoax."

"It doesn't," Henriksen shook his head. "How many demons?"

"Total? No clue."

"There's a lot," Emily continued. "We know that much."

"You know what my job is?" Henriksen asked.

"You mean besides locking up the good guys?" Dean asked. He stood up and walked over to Henriksen. "I have no idea."

"My job is boring, it's frustrating," Henriksen told the hunter. "You work three years for one break, and then maybe you can save ... a few people. Maybe. That's the payoff. I've been busting my ass for 15 years to nail a handful of guys and all this while, there's something off in the corner so big. So yeah… sign me up for that big, frosty mug of wasting my damn life."

"You didn't know," Dean told him.

"Now I do." Henriksen paused. "What's out there? Can you guys beat it? Can you win?"

"We can try," Emily replied.

"Honestly? I think the world's gonna end bloody," Dean answered. "But it doesn't mean we shouldn't fight. We do have choices. I choose to go down swingin'."

"Plus you got nothing to go home to but your brother," Henriksen replied. He looked at Emily. "And now you got this girl you gotta protect."

Dean looked at Emily. "Emily proved pretty early on that she's capable of anything, even if it seems impossible. If anyone can get through this, I know she can. She didn't have a family when we met her, and now she does. She's got us and we'll do whatever it takes to keep her safe."

Emily smiled slightly at that comment.

"What about you?" Dean asked Henriksen. "You rockin' the white picket fence?"

"Mmm-mm," Henriksen nodded. "Empty apartment, a string of angry ex-wives. I'm right where you are," he chuckled.

Dean chuckled as well. "Imagine that."

* * *

A loud crash could be heard from the storage room. Dean, Emily, and Henriksen grabbed their guns and ran into the room. Sam ran in after them.

Ruby was standing on a devil's trap, looking pissed.

Henriksen aimed his rifle. "How do we kill her?"

"We don't," Sam said, pushing Henriksen's rifle down.

"She's a demon," Henriksen stated.

"She's here to help us," Sam sighed.

"Are you kidding?" Officer Amici asked. He and Nancy were poking their heads around the corner.

"Are you gonna let me out?" Ruby asked.

Sam pulled out a knife and scratched away at the paint, releasing Ruby from her trap.

"And they say chivalry is dead," Ruby told Sam. She began walking out of the room. "Does anyone have a breath mint?" She asked on her way out. "Some guts splattered in my mouth while I was killing my way in here."

Everyone followed Ruby to the office. "How many are out there?" Dean asked.

"30 at least," Ruby replied, sitting on a desk. "That's so far."

"Oh, good," Dean said sarcastically. "30. 30 hitmen all gunning for us. Who sent them?"

Ruby looked at Sam. "You didn't tell Dean?"

Dean looked at Sam, confused.

"Lilith," Emily muttered.

"Who?" Dean asked.

"There's a big new up and corner," Ruby answered. "Real pied piper."

"Lilith?" Dean repeated.

Ruby nodded. "She really, really wants Sam's intestines on a stick. 'Cause she sees him as competition."

Dean looked at his brother. "You knew about this?"

Sam didn't reply.

"Well, gee, Sam," Dean yelled. "Is there anything else I should know?!"

"How about the two of you talk about this later?" Ruby interrupted. "We'll need the Colt." Ruby looked at Sam, who dropped his gaze. "Where's the Colt?"

"It got stolen," Sam admitted.

"I'm sorry," Ruby snapped. "I must have blood in my ear. I thought I just heard you say that you were stupid enough to let the Colt get grabbed out of your thick, clumsy, idiotic hands." The demon stood up. "Fantastic," she snarled, walking to the other side of the room. "This is just peachy…"

"Ruby," Sam began.

Ruby held up a hand. "Shut up," she ordered. "Fine," she said after a moment. Ruby turned back around to face them. "Since I don't see that there's any other option. There's one other way I know how to get you out of here alive."

"What's that?" Dean asked.

"I know a spell," Ruby replied, walking up to the hunter. "It'll vaporize every demon in a one-mile radius. Myself included." She turned to Sam. "So, you let the Colt out of your sight and now I have to die. So next time, be more careful. How's that for a dying wish?" Ruby sat back down.

Dean stood up. "Okay, what do we need to do?"

"Aww," Ruby told the hunter in mock sympathy, "you can't do anything. This spell is very specific. It calls for a person of virtue."

Dean nodded. "I got virtue."

Ruby chuckled. "Nice try. You're not a virgin."

Dean laughed at the demon. "Nobody's a virgin."

Ruby didn't respond, her eyes moving over towards Nancy, who was fiddling with her cross necklace. Dean followed the demon's gaze.

"No. No way," he told Nancy as the woman began to rub the back of her neck nervously. "You're kidding me, r–. You're…"

"What?" Nancy asked. "It's a choice, okay?"

"So, y-you've never… Not even once?" Dean stammered. "I mean not even – Wow."

"So, this spell. What can I do?" Nancy smiled at Ruby.

"You can hold still," Ruby said as she approached the young woman, "while I cut your heart out of your chest."

"What?" Nancy asked.

Emily immediately pulled Nancy closer to her. "That is not happening."

"Are you crazy?" Dean asked.

"I'm offering a solution," Ruby argued.

"You're offering to kill somebody," Dean argued back.

"And what do you think is going to happen to this girl when the demons get in?" Ruby asked.

"We're gonna protect her," Henriksen spoke up. "That's what."

"Excuse me," Nancy said quietly.

"Very noble," Ruby said, her voice growing louder.

"Ex– excuse me," Nancy tried again, a little louder.

"You're all gonna die," Ruby continued yelling at Dean. "Look. This is the only way."

"Yeah, yeah. There's no way that you're gonna—"

"Would everybody please shut up?!" Nancy yelled over everyone. Dean and Ruby stopped arguing to look at her. "All the people out there… will it save them?"

"It'll blow the demons out of their bodies," Ruby nodded. "So if their bodies are okay… yeah."

Nancy nodded. "I'll do it."

"Hell no," Henriksen shook his head.

Dean shook his head as well. "No, no. You don't need to do this."

"All my friends are out there," Nancy reminded them.

"We don't sacrifice people," Henriksen argued. "We do that, we're no better than them."

"We don't have a choice," Ruby said quietly.

"Yeah, well, your choice is not a choice," Dean yelled.

Ruby looked at the younger Winchester. "Sam, you know I'm right."

Everyone looked at Sam, who didn't respond.

Dean chuckled nervously. "Sam?" Sam didn't reply. "What the hell is going on? Sam, tell her," Dean ordered.

"It's my decision," Nancy spoke.

"Damn straight, cherry pie," Ruby smirked.

"Stop! Stop!" Dean yelled. "Nobody kill any virgins." Dean looked at his brother. "Sam, I need to talk to you."

Sam followed Dean into the hallway.

"Well," Emily sighed, this is just great.

"So what do we do now?" Henriksen asked.

"I honestly don't know," Emily admitted. "But I know Sam and Dean will come up with something. They always do." She looked at Nancy. "One thing we're not doing though is letting Nancy die."

* * *

Dean came back into the room without Sam.

"Where's Sam?" Emily asked.

"We have a plan," Dean told everyone. "We're gonna fight."

"You really think that'll work?" Officer Amici asked.

"No," Dean admitted. He looked at Ruby. "But it's the best choice we got. Sam's setting up an exorcism on a recording right now. We'll let them all in and play it over the intercom."

Sam walked back in.

"Get the equipment to work?" Dean asked.

"Yeah," Sam nodded.

"So?" Dean asked at his brother's reaction.

"So this is insane," Sam told his brother.

"You win "understatement of the year."," Ruby told him.

"Look, I get it, you think—"

Ruby cut Dean off. "I don't think… I know. It's not gonna work." The demon stood up and walked towards the door. "So long, boys."

"So, you're just gonna leave?" Sam asked.

Ruby turned to face him. "Hey. I was gonna kill myself to help you win. I'm not gonna stand here and watch you lose." She walked closer to Sam. "And I'm disappointed because I tried. I really did, but clearly, I bet on the wrong horse." When Sam didn't reply, Ruby asked, "do you mind letting me out?"

Sam went with Ruby to let her out of the building.

* * *

"Alright," Dean said when Sam returned, "here's the plan. Break the traps and the salt lines. Open the doors, kill as many as you can, and once they're all in, trap them in the building and play the exorcism."

"Will this really work?" Henriksen asked.

"It should," Dean answered hesitantly. "Sam, you stay behind in the office, Emily, you stay with me. Henriksen, take the other exit door. Whoever reaches the audio room first, play the tape."

"I wanna help too," Nancy spoke up.

"No, it's too dangerous," Dean replied.

"Someone's gonna have to trap the demons in the building once they're all in," Nancy insisted. "I can do this."

Dean looked at her, thinking it over.

"I'll go with her," officer Amici offered. "Keep her safe."

"Alright," Dean finally nodded. "But be careful."

Nancy nodded and left the room with the officer.

Emily sighed, grabbing her gun. "Let's do this."

Everyone hurried to their designated spots.

"All set?" Dean shouted.

"Yeah!" Sam's reply came.

"Ready!" Henriksen yelled.

"You ready?" Dean asked Emily.

Emily cocked her gun. "As ready as I'll ever be."

"Let's do this," Dean shouted down the hall. Dean scraped the paint away from the demon trap and Emily broke the salt line. The two of them threw the doors open the two hunters readied their guns.

Emily and Dean backed away from the door, ready for any demons who might come in. A shot was heard from down the hall and soon after, demons started rushing in. The two hunters took turns shooting them down as they backed down the hall. More shots were heard from various parts of the building. Dean and Emily continued to move back down the hall, colliding with Henriksen as he came down another hallway.

While Dean was reloading his gun, Emily took the opportunity to shoot more demons. Dean finished reloading and took a shot.

"Go! Go! Go!" Dean yelled.

Henriksen ran down another hall, towards the audio room while Emily and Dean ran towards the office.

* * *

Fighting demons down the hallway, they finally reached the office, where Sam was splashing demons with holy water.

The three hunters began splashing several demons who had gathered in the office with holy water. Eventually, however, the flasks ran out.

A demon with red hair climbed over a desk, walking towards Sam. She held out a hand and the three hunters were thrown against a wall, unable to move.

"Henriksen, now!" Dean yelled.

A moment later, the intercom turned on.

"Exorcizamus te, omnis immundus spiritus," Sam's voice came over the speaker, "omnis satanica potestas, omnis incursio infernalis adversarii omnis legio, omnis congregatio et secta diabolica, ergo, draco maledicte et omnis legio diabolica, adjuramus te, cessa decipere humanas creaturas, eisque æternæ perditionìs venenum propinare vade, satana, inventor et magister omnis fallaciæ, hostis humanæ salutis, humiliare sub potenti manu dei."

The demons began to flail and covered their ears. Many of them ran to the doors and began pounding on them to get out. Black smoke began to pour from their mouths as the exorcism continued. A large cloud of black smoke began to swirl around on the ceiling.

"Contremisce et effuge," the recording continued, "invocato a nobis sancto et terribili nomini quem inferi tremunt ab insidiis diaboli, libera nos, domine. exorcizamus te, omnis immundus spiritus, omnis satanica potestas, omnis incursio infernalis adversarii, omnis legio, omnis congregatio et secta diabolica ergo, draco maledicte et omnis legio diabolica, adjuramus te cessa decipere humanas creaturas, eisque æternæ perditionìs venenum propinare ut ecclesiam tuam secura tibi facias libertate servire, te rogamus, audi nos!"

There was an explosion of light on the ceiling, and everything went still. Sam, Dean, and Emily slid down the wall to the floor and looked at each other. They got to their feet, groaning, as Henriksen came back into the office. The agent chuckled as he wiped the blood from his lips. The people who were possessed began to stand up and the electricity flickered back on.

* * *

"I better call in," Henriksen said later, once all the formerly possessed people had been given any medical treatment they needed. "Hell of a story I won't be telling."

"So what are you gonna tell them?" Sam asked.

"The least ridiculous lie I can come up with in the next five minutes," Henriksen scoffed.

"Good luck with that," Dean nodded. "Not to pressure you or anything, but what are you planning to do about us?"

"I'm gonna kill you," Henriksen replied firmly.

The three hunters gave each other a worried look.

"Sam and Dean Winchester were in the chopper when it caught on fire," Henriksen continued. "Nothing left. Can't even identify them with dental records. Rest in peace, guys."

The hunters shook hands with Henriksen.

"Now get out of here," Henriksen chuckled.

"Yeah," Sam nodded, and they left.

* * *

**February 16th, 2008 - The Wagon Trail Motel**

The next morning, Sam, Dean, and Emily were in their motel room when there was a knock on the door. Dean opened it up to reveal Ruby.

"Turn on the news," Ruby instructed, walking into the room.

Sam turned on the TV. A news reporter was standing in front of the police precinct, which looked like it had burnt down.

"The community is still reeling from the tragedy that happened just a few hours ago," the reporter announced. "Authorities believe a gas main ruptured causing the massive explosion that ripped apart the police station and claimed the lives of everyone inside. Among the deceased, at least six police officers and staff, including sheriff Melvin Dodd, deputy Phil Amici, and secretary Nancy Fitzgerald as well as three FBI agents, identified as Steven Groves, Calvin Reidy, and Victor Henriksen." Pictures of the deceased appeared on screen as their names were read. "Two fugitives in custody were also killed. We'll continue to follow the story here at the scene, but for now, back to you, Jim."

Ruby turned off the TV and looked at the hunters.

"Must have happened right after we left," Sam muttered.

"Considering the size of the blast," Ruby tossed them each hex bags, "smart money's on Lilith."

"What's in these?" Dean asked.

"Something that'll protect you," Ruby replied. "Throw Lilith off your trail… for the time being, at least."

"Thanks," Sam nodded.

"Don't thank me," Ruby snapped. "Lilith killed everyone. She slaughtered your precious little virgin, plus a half a dozen other people. So after your big speech about humanity and war, turns out your plan was the one with the body count," the demon yelled. Ruby lowered her voice. "Do you know how to run a battle? You strike fast and you don't leave any survivors. So no one can go running to tell the boss. So next time… we go with my plan." Not giving anyone a chance to say anything else, Ruby left, slamming the door behind her.


	7. Secrets in the World

**February 21st, 2008 - Sioux Falls, South Dakota**

Emily, or Amelia, or whatever her name was, was lying on her back, staring up at the ceiling from her bed in Bobby's house. After the whole ordeal at the police station, Sam and Dean had figured she might need a little break and had dropped her off at Bobby's for a bit. That was a week ago and she hadn't heard anything from them since.

Bobby had left a couple of days ago before she had even woken up. The old hunter had called in later that day to tell her he was working a case in Cincinnati and wouldn't be back for almost a week, which gave her free reign of the entire house during that time.

Currently, she was lying on her bed, staring up at the ceiling while eating a slice from a pizza that she had ordered. In other words, she was bored. She didn't have much to do in terms of entertainment. There was Bobby's computer, but there was only so much she could do on the internet in 2008.

"Who died?" a familiar voice joked.

Emily looked up to see a certain archangel leaning against the wall, looking concerned. "Hey Gabe!" she greeted. "I'm just bored. Been here by myself for the past few days. What are you doing here?"

"I mean, I can leave," the archangel teased, "but I wanted to ask you something first." He was holding a book and Emily immediately recognized the title. It was 'All Hell Breaks Loose.' One of Chuck's books.

Emily sat up, now curious about what Chuck had written into the book about her. "What's up?"

"Well, one," Gabe began, holding up a finger, "What is this? And two," Gabe held up another finger, "Why didn't you tell me you had powers?"

"Well, one," Emily repeated, holding up a finger, "it's called a book, and two," she held up another finger, "emphasis on had. I haven't been able to use them since I was probably ten or eleven."

Gabriel rolled his eyes. "Yes, I know what a book is. And what do you mean?"

"I don't know," Emily shrugged. "One day I woke up and they were just gone."

"You know you still have them right?" Gabe asked. "I can feel them. I wouldn't be able to if they were just gone completely."

Emily scoffed. "Great. So I have them, but I can't use them." She shrugged. "Awesome."

"How did you use them before?"

"I don't think I had full control over them before I stopped being able to use them. But I do remember that the happier I was, the easier it was for me to use them."

"So you're not happy anymore?" Gabe asked.

Emily looked down at the floor. "I don't know if I have been for a while." She scoffed. "This is stupid though. You don't wanna hear my sob story."

"I would have stopped you if I didn't. I told you I would help you as long as you didn't reveal who I was, which you haven't, and I intend to keep that promise."

Emily cocked an eyebrow. She waved a hand around, gesturing as she spoke. "I thought you were only going to help me with finding out why I was brought here."

Gabriel nodded. "And now I'm going to help you with this. So come on," Gabe waved a hand around, "What happened with your powers?"

Emily told the archangel everything. Growing up in an orphanage for seventeen years, discovering at the age of four that she could move things with her mind, how the other girls in the home helped her keep it a secret and learn to control them. She told him about how, when they needed entertainment, she would make the piano play itself and eventually learned how to use her powers on herself and the other girls so they could dance in the air. Emily told the archangel about how, after several years at the orphanage, she had begun losing hope about ever getting out of there because "who would want to adopt a teenager." She told him about being devastated when she woke up one day and found out that the one thing she thought made her unique was gone. Emily told him about how she tried desperately to get them to work, to no avail. How six or seven years later, she thought they were just gone for good, never to return. Learning that her foster mom, who she had never told about her powers, had revealed when she was seventeen that she knew about them the whole time.

"And that's about it," Emily finally concluded. "The next day, I woke up in this universe and I've been here ever since."

"Holy shit, kid," Gabriel said when she finished.

Emily shrugged. "Yeah, well..." she trailed off.

"Well maybe you just need to learn how to control them again," Gabriel suggested. "Like I said, you still have them. They're pretty weak because they haven't been used since you were a kid, but they're there. Maybe I can help you out."

"You'd do that?" Emily asked, standing up.

"You don't tell Sam and Dean who I am, and I help you out. That was the deal, remember?"

Emily nodded. "I remember. So what's the plan?"

"Think fast!"

Before Emily had a chance to register what Gabe has said, she saw the blur of the book he had been holding, flying across the room towards her. Emily did the very first thing that came to mind and decided to try and shield her face with her arms.

"Stop it!" she yelled as she waited for the book to hit its target. "What the hell are you doing?"

She waited for the book to hit her arms or any other part of her body, but it never came. Assuming Gabe had missed, she slowly lowered her arms. As soon as she did, she heard the thud of a book hitting the ground.

"Hey, it worked!" the archangel exclaimed.

"What worked?"

"You stopped the book without even touching it," Gabe pointed out. "You were so freaked out about it hitting you, that you wanted it to stop, and it did."

Emily picked up the book, throwing it hard towards the archangel. "That was your big plan?" she asked. "What if it didn't work?"

"Well, then you would have gotten hit in the arms with a paperback book. Besides, it did work!"

"You're an idiot," Emily shook her head.

"Well, hey, at least now, you know I wasn't lying about you still having your powers."

"I never said I didn't believe you," Emily pointed out.

"I know," Gabe replied. "We just need to get them to control them well enough that a sudden surge of emotions doesn't trigger them. And I know exactly where we can go to do that."

"Where's that?" Emily asked.

Gabe walked forward until he was standing next to her. "Come on." He took Emily by the arm and a flutter of wings later, they were standing in what appeared to be an old, possibly abandoned, warehouse.

Emily looked around, slightly startled by her sudden location change The tin walls were rusted from the rain and many damaged boxes lined the edge of the wooden floor.

"So, where are we?" Emily asked after gathering her bearings.

"Some old warehouse I found," Gabe replied. "I'm sure whoever was using it won't mind. Doesn't look like anyone's been here in a while."

Emily brushed her hair out of her face. "No, I guess not. So how are we doing this?"

"Well," Gabe began, "Right now we should just work on getting you to be able to use your powers without having to get all emotional." He used his own angel powers to levitate a nearby box. "It just takes focus. And lucky for you, since I can do the same thing you can, it'll be easy for me to help you out." The archangel put the box back on the ground. "Back at the house, when I threw the book at you, the first thing you did was yell at me to stop, and that caused the book to stop in the air, even though you didn't see it."

"Well I was a little freaked out about possibly getting hit in the face," Emily defended.

"That's my point," Gabe continued. "If we can get it so you can control them a hundred percent, you'll be good to go. Here just," Gabe looked around, pointing at a small box, "focus on that. Try and get it to move, even just a little."

Emily scoffed in frustration. "Gabe, come on, this is stupid."

"Just try. Please?"

Emily sighed. "Alright." She looked at the box that Gabriel was pointing to. Taking a deep breath, she began to focus on it. She imagined it moving towards her. Pictured some sort of string or rope on it, dragging it across the floor.

Finally, after she was almost at the point of giving up, the box suddenly moved a foot towards her, breaking her concentration.

Gabe gave her a high-five. "Nice job!"

"Thanks!" Emily smiled.

They spent some more time practicing Emily's powers. After about an hour, she was almost able to use them exactly how she had been able to all those years ago.

"Come on," Gabe said, getting her attention, "You look like you could use a break."

The archangel conjured up a box of donuts, taking one for himself. Emily laughed at his antics while helping herself to one too, sitting next to Gabe on some steps.

"So, I have a question," Gabe said after a moment, "how did you manage to keep your powers a secret when you were a kid?"

"I kind of didn't," Emily admitted. "Not completely anyways. I was only four when I discovered my powers. The other kids in the orphanage found out almost instantly because I was freaking out so much. They were all really accepting of them and the older kids, the ones who were already in their teens, helped me learn how to control them. As much as they could, at least."

"And your foster mom? How did she find out?"

"I'm not entirely sure how or when she found out. We decided against telling her because, in our minds, we were afraid she would send me away. The kids there had no problem with my powers, but we weren't sure how adults would react. But when I was seventeen, the night before I ended up here, she revealed that she had known about them for a long time. Told me I wasn't as good at keeping secrets back then as I thought." Emily smiled a little. "When I was probably six or seven, I figured out how to use my powers to make myself and the other kids float around in the air. We would dance around to music whenever we were bored. It was how we all bonded while we were growing up. It brought us closer together."

"You could actually do that?" Gabe asked.

Emily nodded. "Yeah. I can't remember how I did it, exactly, but I did."

"Do you think you'll ever be able to do that again sometime?"

Emily thought about it for a moment. "Probably," she finally nodded. "I mean, I did it before. Who's to say I won't be able to again?" She yawned, feeling sleepy from practicing her powers.

Gabe chuckled a little. "Come on," he said, standing up and offering Emily a hand. "Let's get you home so you can get some sleep."

Emily took the archangel's hand, letting him help her up. She barely noticed when Gabriel flew them back to Bobby's house. She climbed into bed, not even bothering to change into her pajamas.

"I'll let you get some sleep," Gabe told her before she drifted off. "Keep practicing your powers when you get a chance, and if you ever need me, just call."

Emily nodded, barely able to keep her eyes open anymore. "Night Gabe," she whispered.

"Night kiddo." With a final flutter of wings, Gabe left.

Lying her head down on the pillow, Emily closed her eyes, finally getting some sleep for the night.


	8. Ghostfacers

**February 28th, 2008 - Appleton, Wisconsin**

Emily was sitting in the backseat of the Impala as Dean drove down the road. The Winchester brothers had come by to pick her up for their latest hunt after she insisted that she was ready again. It had been about a week since Gabriel had helped her get her powers back but she hadn't gotten around to telling Sam and Dean yet. She had been practicing a lot though, whenever she had a chance.

The three hunters were on their way to Appleton, Wisconsin. Dean had insisted they hunt the Morton ghost, a ghost that only appeared on February 29th, stating it would be fun. Sam had tried to protest, saying they should keep trying to get Dean out of his deal, but the older Winchester had eventually won and, after a bit of research, they got into the Impala and headed down the road.

They drove to the Morton house late that night to scope it out. Dean blasted "We're an American Band," on the radio as he slowly drove past. Emily saw some bushes rustle near the main gate and sighed to herself. She leaned forward from the backseat.

"Oh great," she groaned. "Those Ghostfacer guys are here. I completely forgot about that."

"Ghostfacer guys?" Sam asked.

"Oh right," Emily mentally facepalmed. "I forgot they went by something else the last time you saw them. They ran a hellhound site, I think, last time you ran into them."

"Those goofballs from Texas?" Dean asked. "With the tulpa?"

Emily nodded. "Yep."

"Damn it!" Dean hit the steering wheel. "They're gonna get themselves killed in there." He drove the Impala around the back of the house, hiding it amongst some trees before they gathered their gear.

"Hey, uh, I need to tell you guys something," Emily said as they got ready.

"Is it important?" Dean asked. "I mean, can it wait until we save these idiots?"

"Uh, yeah," Emily nodded. "I guess it can wait." She sighed as she followed the boys into the house, flashlights lighting the way. She'd tell them about having her powers back later.

They walked through the house in silence. Voices could be heard in another room, and Dean gestured to Emily to keep quiet while they dealt with the Ghostfacers.

The three hunters walked into the kitchen, lighting up the faces of the wannabe ghost hunters. There were two guys standing in the kitchen. Both of them had GoPros and headlamps strapped to their heads.

"Freeze!" Dean yelled in his authoritative voice. "Police officers! Don't move!"

"All right. All right. All right," Sam continued as the Ghostfacers began to visibly panic. "Take it easy, take it easy."

"Let's see some identification," Dean ordered.

"Come on. Let's see some I.D," Sam held out his hand.

"What - are we under - under arrest?" One of the guys asked as he handed over his license.

"We are unarmed," the other guy continued.

"Oh, god. Oh, god."

Dean nudged the license towards the first man as he looked it over. "Want to explain that weirdo outfit, Mr., uh, Corbett?"

"I know you," the second guy said suddenly.

"Yeah, sure you do," Dean scoffed. "Give me some identification."

"Yeah, ho- whoa, hold on a second. I know the both of you guys. Yeah," the second guy realized.

"What?" Corbett asked his friend.

"Yeah, huh."

"Holy shit!" Sam sighed, looking at Dean. "Emily was right."

"Did you doubt me?" Emily asked, making her presence known.

Corbett turned to face her. "You know us?"

"The idiots that almost got my friends here killed a while back?" Emily asked. "Yeah, I know you. Not a fan."

"Oh."

"Wait, wait wait. Hold on. What?" Dean asked.

"I told you," Emily repeated. "Those dorks with the Tulpa you guys dealt with are here."

"Fuck me," Dean sighed.

"Yeah, we're not hellhounds anymore, okay?" The second guy said. "It didn't test that well."

"Ed, what's going on?" Corbett asked.

"They're not cops, buddy," Ed reassured his friend. "No, not at all."

"Ed, Ed, you had a partner, too, didn't you?" Dean asked. "A different guy?"

Ed nodded. "Oh, yeah, yeah."

"Is he around here somewhere?" Dean asked.

"He's running around, chasing ghosts," Ed informed the hunter.

"Okay, well, listen, you and Rambo need to get your girlfriends and get out of here," Dean ordered.

"All right. Listen here, chisel chest, okay?" Ed argued. "We were here first. We've already set up base camp. We beat you."

Dean turned to his brother. "They were here first," he said mockingly.

"Mm hmm," Ed nodded smugly.

"Oh well, in that case," Emily replied sarcastically. "We should totally just let them have the whole place to themselves."

Dean grabbed Ed, spinning him around to look at the now fearful man in the eyes.

"Oh, god," Ed whimpered.

"Ed," Dean snapped.

"Yeah?"

"Where's your partner?"

Ed gulped, before pointing at the ceiling. "Upstairs."

Everybody walked into the living room.

"What are you doing in the Morton House, Ed," Dean snapped. "On leap year - what are you thinking?"

"We're here to spend the night, okay?" Ed admitted. "It's for our TV show."

"What?" Sam asked. The younger Winchester scoffed. "Great. Perfect."

"Yeah, nobody's ever spent the night before," Corbett added.

"Hate to break it to you," Emily spoke, "but people actually have."

"Uh, we've never heard of them," Ed argued.

"Yeah, you know why?" Dean asked. "'Cause the ones that have, haven't lived to talk about it!"

"Oh, come on, I don't believe you."

"Look," Sam pulled out missing persons reports they had found earlier, "missing-persons reports going back almost a half century. John Graham stayed on a dare - gone. Julie Wilkerson - gone. There are tons more. All of them came to just stay the night through, always on a leap year. The only body they ever found was the last owner, Freeman Daggett." He flipped through the pages as he read off the names, handing them to Ed when he finished.

Ed looked at the reports. "These look legit."

Sam took them back. "They are legit. Look, Ed, we ain't got much time here, buddy. Starting at midnight, your friends are going to die."

At that moment, three more people, two guys and a girl, ran down the stairs and into the living room.

"Oh, my god! Oh, my god! Oh, my god! Oh, my god! Oh, my god," one of the guys, who Emily recognized as Harry, yelled frantically. He had a GoPro strapped to his head like Ed and Corbett. "Guys! Guys! Oh, my god! Oh, my god! We got one! Corbett! Corbett, we saw one! We saw one. It was a full apparition! It was like a class four. It was a spectral illumination! It," he suddenly stopped, turning his head towards Sam, Dean, and Emily.

'Hey, aren't those the assholes from Texas?"

"Yes," Ed nodded.

"Who's the girl?"

"I'm Em-," Emily stopped herself, suddenly wanting to try out her birth name instead, "I'm Amy."

Sam and Dean looked at her for a moment. They looked at each other before Dean turned back to the Ghostfacers. "All right, let's have this reunion across the street, guys."

"Crap," the guy who was yelling frantically before sighed. "What are you guys doing here?"

Dean began trying to push the group towards the door. "Come on, come on. We'll get you ice cream - our treat. What do you say? Let's go."

The guy who had run down the stairs yelling, held up a hand, "Yeah, I say no."

The girl who had run down the stairs with them, showed Ed her laptop. "Look at this. Look, look," she said, pointing at the screen frantically. "Ed, Ed. No. No. Look at this. Okay, honest-to-god proof, all right?"

"Are you kidding me?" Ed asked.

Ed's partner shook his head. "Yeah. no, not kidding."

"What kind of reading did we get?" The fourth guy asked.

"Uh, it was a 10.9."

"10.9?" Ed repeated.

"Yeah, it was 10.9. It was almost 11," Harry replied. "I came out, and I was like, "what's going on?" And I was like - wait, watch this. Oh! He got blasted. It was crazy."

Sam pulled Dean and Emily away from the group and into the hallway.

"Think we were off on this?" Sam asked. "I mean, that was just a death echo."

"Yeah, but what's it doing here?" Dean asked. "Did anybody get shot here?"

"I couldn't find anything," Emily replied.

"Neither could I," Sam continued.

"What's a death echo?" A voice asked. Emily looked over to see one of the Ghostfacers pointing a camera at them.

Sam walked back towards the group. "Look, we got a problem here," he informed them. "That ghost ain't it."

"Yeah, that's real," Harry replied, voice trembling with panic. "Like, that happened."

"What's a death echo?" The guy with the camera repeated.

"Echoes are trapped in a loop, okay?" Dean replied. "They keep replaying how they died over and over and over again, usually in the place where they were ganked. It's about as dangerous as a scary movie."

"So maybe the echo's not dangerous, but maybe something else is," Sam suggested.

"What are all these echoes doing here anyway?" Emily asked. "None of those deaths even happened here."

Dean seemed to think for a moment. "All right," he finally said, "we need to get out of here, guys. Come on. Let's go. Let's go. Let's go. Pack it up."

"Guys, time is running out!" Sam yelled when nobody budged.

"We're moving!" Dean barked.

"What about all of our equipment?" The girl asked. "What are we gonna..."

"Lots of fun," Dean interrupted. "Let's go."

"We got more material," Harry argued. "We got all kinds of stuff. We'll make you guys recurring guest stars."

"Wait! Wait!" Ed yelled, stopping everyone. "Where's Corbett?" He looked around the room, where Corbett seemed to have disappeared from. "No man left behind."

A sudden scream of anguish could be heard in the distance, somewhere in the house.

"That was Corbett," Ed realized.

"That was Corbett!" Harry repeated. "Corbett!"

"Corbett! it's okay!" The girl called. The three Ghostfacers tried to run upstairs, while Sam, and Dean tried to stop them.

"We'll get him! Go back!" Dean yelled.

"Guys!" Sam yelled. "Crap!" Emily followed as the Ghostfacers ignored the Winchesters and kept running.

"No! Where are you, dude?" Ed called out. The remaining Ghostfacers began calling out for the other.

"Tell us where you are!"

"Corbett!"

"Let me go!" Corbett yelled from a distance. "Guys!"

"Corbett, you need to come back, Corbett," Ed yelled.

Corbett began screaming in anguish. Loudly at first, but then it began to fade away.

At that moment, Dean stepped in. "Hey! Hey! Hey! Come on," he pointed a finger back down the stairs.

"Corbett's," Sam hesitated, looking for the words. "He's not here. Let's go. Let's go." He gestured the group back down the stairs.

"No. No. No. But that's Corbett," Harry protested, trying to fight his way back. "No, that was Corbett. Didn't you hear that?"

"Go, go, go, come on," Dean shouted, practically dragging Harry down the stairs while Sam and Emily kept the others from going back up.

"Guys. Guys. Guys," one of the 'facers said desperately. "He's that way."

"Here we go. Here we go," Sam continued. "Keep it moving. Keep it moving."

"Corbett?" Ed called, looking back down the hallway.

Emily stepped in front of him. "Come on, let's go," she told him, pushing the man down the hall with the others.

"Hey, hey, hey," Sam told Dean, pointing at Harry, who had stopped to film everyone on his camera. "Watch him. Watch him."

Dean hit Harry with his flashlight. "Go. Go. Move. Move." He put a hand over the camera. "Turn it off!"

Harry reluctantly turned the camera off, following the others down the stairs.

* * *

**February 29th, 2008 - Morton house**

Sam led Emily and Dean to the front door, while the Ghostfacers reviewed footage in the living room. The younger Winchester tried opening the door, but it wouldn't budge.

Emily sighed "Now what?"

"Well, it's 12:04, Dean. You good? You happy?" he asked angrily.

"Yeah, I am happy," Dean snapped.

"Let's go hunt the Morton house," you said," Sam yelled, "it's our Grand Canyon."."

Dean turned away. "Sam, I don't want to hear this."

"You got two months left, Dean. Instead, we're gonna die tonight." Sam angrily picked up a chair, smashing it against the door.

"Whoa! what the hell is going on guys?" The Ghostfacers yelled as they scrambled into the room.

"I'll tell you what's going on," Sam huffed. "Every door, every window, I'm guessing every exit out of this house - they're all sealed."

"But w-why are they sealed?" The female 'facer asked.

"It's a supernatural lockdown, okay?" Dean replied. "Whatever took Corbett doesn't want us to leave, and it's no death echo. This is a bad mother, and it wants us scared."

"Or it just wants us."

A loud warbling sound started coming from the EMF detector.

"Uh, guys," one of the Ghostfacers mentioned, "the camera's fritzing again."

"Whoa. Whoa. Guys, the EMF's starting to spike," Ed informed them. "This is a big one!"

"Everybody, stay close," Sam instructed as everyone huddled together in the corner. "There's something coming."

A man suddenly appeared in front of them, startling almost everyone.

"Is this the same echo you guys saw earlier?" Dean asked.

"No, it's a different guy."

Dean ran towards the echo, shouting at it. "Hey, buddy! Hey. Hey. Wake up. You're dead! Hello!"

"What's he doing?" Harry asked. "What's he doing?"

"Trying to talk to it," Emily spoke. "Sometimes you can shock an echo out of it's loop. It's rare, but it is possible."

"Usually you have to have some kind of connection to the deceased, though," Sam added.

"Come on! Wake up! Be dead!" Dean continued.

Off in the distance, Emily could hear the faint sound of something. She didn't know what though.

"You guys hear that?" Harry asked.

"What's that sound?" Ed asked at the same time.

"It almost sounds like a train," Emily noticed.

Dean was still trying to get through to the echo. "Snap out of it, buddy, huh? Come on, what are you waiting for? You're gonzo! You're dead!"

As Dean was talking to the apparition, a bright light seemed to get closer to the man. The apparition turned around, only to fly backwards through the air, like it had just been hit by a vehicle.

"Where the hell did it go?" Ed asked.

"Gone," Dean said, "For now."

"Great," Emily sighed, "Now what?"

"Alright, uh," Sam thought for a moment, "Everyone upstairs. There's gotta be some answers around here somewhere."

The three hunters led the Ghostfacers down the hall on the second floor.

"Dude, there's no records of any of this here," Dean snapped. "No one got shot here. Obviously, no one got run over by a freaking train."

"Maybe they didn't die here," Emily pointed out. "Not at the house anyway."

"Stay close." Sam turned to Emily. "What do you mean?"

"Well, I mean, we all know that a ghost is usually tied to something. A place or an object, right?"

Sam and Dean looked at each other, then back at Emily.

"So what?" Dean asked. "You think something from each of the victims is here?"

Emily shrugged. "I didn't see any records of a train running through the house, so I think so. Probably. The question though, is what?"

"Did the echoes take Corbett?" The female Ghostfacer spoke up.

"Yes," Dean replied quickly. He quickly backtracked. "No. I don't know. We don't know what's doing what here; that's what we're trying to figure out, okay?"

"Okay, look, um, death echoes are ghosts, okay?" Sam informed her. "Now, ghosts - they usually haunt places where they lived or where they died."

"Except these mooks didn't live or die here," Dean continued.

Sam nodded. "Right."

"So we think that something that might have belonged to the victims might be in the house somewhere," Emily finished.

The group continued to walk down the hall, finally coming across a room full of stuffed animal heads on the walls and filing cabinets.

Sam held up a certificate in a broken frame. "Freeman Daggett," he read, "house's last owner, officially commended for 20 years of fine service at the Gamble General Hospital."

"He was a doctor?" Dean asked.

"Janitor," Sam corrected.

"This looks like his den," Dean said, shining his flashlight around. "When'd you say he died - '64?"

"Yeah," Sam nodded, "Heart attack."

"What are these, c-rations?" Someone asked.

"Yeah, army-issued," Dean replied, picking one up, "three squares - like a lifetime supply."

"God, is that all he ate?"

"One-stop shopping." Dean's eye caught sight of a safe in the corner. "Hello, locked," he beamed, heading towards it.

"Oh, come on, guys. This is ridiculous," Ed scoffed. "I mean, how the hell is this supposed to find Corbett, huh? We should be digging up the friggin' floorboards right now."

"Huh," Sam said, holding up a dusty pamphlet. ""Survival Under Atomic Attack." An optimist."

There was a loud bang as Dean got the safe open. He started leafing through its contents. "Crap. Crap. Taxidermy." He stopped. "Okay. You said Daggett was a hospital janitor?"

"Yeah," Sam nodded.

"Ewww," Dean groaned as he pulled something out. "Got three toe tags here - one, death by gunshots, train accident, and suicide."

"Ewwwwww!" Sam groaned in disgust.

"Well, looks like I was right," Emily grimaced. "There is something here keeping the ghosts from leaving. The bodies of the victims."

What?" Harry asked.

"Daggett brought the remains home from the morgue," Dean explained. "To play."

"Ewwwwwwwwww! Ugh!" Harry and Ed groaned simultaneously.

"That's nasty, dude."

"Right," Sam nodded.

"Wait a minute," Dean stopped, looking around. "Where's the girl?"

"Maggie?" Harry asked. It was then that she noticed the female Ghostfacer was missing. "Oh god, where is she?"

"Hold on," Dean instructed. "She can't have gone far. I'll find her."

Dean left the room, coming back a moment later with Maggie.

"Maggie? Maggie?" Harry called out.

"She's fine," Dean informed him.

"Harry. Harry, I got an 8.6 and climbing fast," Ed informed his partner. "Something huge is coming. Look." He showed him the EMF meter. 'Something big is coming."

Harry looked at the meter. "It's past 11, you guys," he read.

"What?" Dean asked, concerned. "Nobody move! Hold on. Hold on. Stay quiet."

The lights began to flicker around the room as the air grew colder. Emily moved next to Sam, ready for any incoming threat. Suddenly, everything went black.

* * *

Emily woke up in a dark room, barely able to see anything. She tried to move, but found herself tied to a chair. "It's My Party" by Leslie Gore was playing faintly over some speakers in the room. She looked around, spotting Corbett to her left, also tied up. He was slumped over, like he had recently been knocked out.

"Corbett?" She asked, trying to get the man's attention. "Hey! Wake up!" Emily looked to her right, now spotting Sam. "Sam!"

Looking around, Emily spotted a small book in the corner. Using her powers, she threw the book at Sam's head.

"Huh?" Sam jolted awake. "Where are we?"

"I don't know," Emily admitted. "Corbett? You awake?"

"Amy?" Corbett's voice asked groggily in the dark. "Sam?"

"Hey, yeah, we're here," Emily sighed in relief.

"Corbett, hey," Sam spoke up, "you got to keep listening to my voice, okay? We're right here. Stay awake."

"Don't listen," a raspy voice said. The ghost of an old man appeared, picking up a knife. "It stops hurting so, don't worry."

Emily focused on the knife as Daggett approached Corbett.

"Corbett, stay with me. Stay with me, you got it? I'm right here. Hey. Stay with me," Sam panicked. Daggett raised the knife. "Don't. Don't."

Daggett brought the knife down as Emily willed it out of his hands. Instead of hitting Corbett, the knife flew into the wall.

"What the hell?" she heard Sam ask.

Daggett looked at the young girl, as she began to panic. "You really shouldn't have done that." He began to approach her.

"Emily?" Sam asked, trying to break free of the ropes tying him to the chair. "Stay away from her!"

Emily began to look around the room, trying to find anything iron. Even if it was across the room, she could use it. She quickly spotted an iron rod, propped up against the wall directly across from her. Focusing on it, she used her powers to throw it straight through Daggett, making him disappear.

"How did you-" Sam asked, unable to finish.

"Remember when I met you, and I told you about my powers?"

"You said you didn't have them anymore."

"I thought I didn't," Emily admitted. "But about a week ago, I figured out how to use them again. Turns out I didn't lose them, I just needed to remember how to use them."

"You could have told us!" Sam shouted.

"Can we not do this now?" Emily asked. "Dagger could be back at any moment and we need to get out of here." She used her powers to untie the ropes behind her and stood up, untying Sam as well. The younger Winchester instantly went over to Corbett, feeling his pulse.

"He's alive. Barely." Sam untied Corbett. "Let's find a way out of here."

"From what I remember, in this episode," Emily recalled, "there should be a door around here somewhere."

"Here," Sam drew her attention to him. He pointed to a metal door, walking over to it, and trying the doorknob. "Something's blocking it."

"Here," Emily stepped up. "Let me try."

Sam stepped back to give her space. Using her powers once more, Emily quickly moved whatever was blocking the door out of the way, opening up their exit.

Sam gasped. "Okay, uh," he turned around, picking up Corbett from the seat he was still slumped in. "Let's go find Dean and the others."

Emily followed the younger Winchester down the hall.

"Okay, so," Sam began, "why didn't you tell us your powers were back?"

"I was working up to it," Emily sighed. "I only just got them back a week ago and you guys weren't around for me to tell you. I couldn't exactly pick up the phone and tell you over a text or call. And then I was going to tell you outside when we got here..."

"Oh," Sam said, "Right." Suddenly, Sam stopped. "Hold up," he instructed.

A faint light could be seen around the corner, getting closer.

"Dean?" Sam called. "That you?"

"Sammy?" Dean's voice answered from around the corner.

"Dean!" Sam began heading down the hall. Emily quickly followed.

They ran into Dean and the rest of the Ghostfacers around the corner.

"Hey, you guys okay?" Dean asked.

"Corbett?" Ed asked, before Sam or Emily had a chance to respond. "Oh my god, Corbett!"

"He's fine," Sam said. "He's alive. We're all okay."

"How'd you guys get out?" Dean asked as they began to walk back to the living room.

Sam looked at Emily. "Uhh..."

"I got us out," Emily admitted.

"What?" Dean looked at his brother, who nodded. "How?"

Emily sighed. She didn't really want to reveal her powers to the Ghostfacers, but they were bound to find out tonight anyway. She levitated a piece of wood slightly off the ground, before putting it back down.

"What the hell?" Harry asked.

"What the hell, is right?" Dean agreed.

"I'll tell you everything later," Emily promised. "But right now, we got the pissed off ghost of Daggett wandering around."

"Emily's right," Sam nodded. "We still gotta find the body and burn it."

"Well we don't know where that is," Dean said, "and all the doors are locked so if it's in a cemetery, there's no way we can get to it."

"Well how did we do it last time? Emily?"

Emily thought for a moment. She had only seen this episode once but she knew the Winchesters and Ghostfacers must have beaten Daggett somehow. She just couldn't remember-

"Oh crap," Emily realized.

"What?" Ed asked.

"In the original episode," Emily sighed, "Corbett's ghost defeated Daggett."

Dean threw his arms up in the air, turning away from the group. "Great! Now what?"

"Those files we found on Daggett," Emily recalled, "didn't they say he was cremated?"

Sam nodded. "Uh, yeah."

"Well, maybe something of his is still here," Emily suggested. "In the house."

"Yeah, but where?" Dean asked. "We don't have time to search every inch of this place, and we don't have time to do more research on him."

"He took us to some underground room," Sam recalled. "Maybe there's something there."

"Alright," Dean agreed. "You guys lead the way."

"Woah, woah woah!" Harry said frantically, stopping Dean, "You wanna go back there?"

"Yeah," Dean nodded, looking at Harry as if it was obvious. "Let's move!"

"Wait, hold on," Emily spoke up. She looked over at Corbett, who was lying on the couch, weak from the encounter with Daggett. "Shouldn't someone stay with him? In case Daggett comes back to finish the job?"

"She's got a point," Sam admitted.

"Okay," Dean nodded. He handed Emily a shotgun. "You stay with him. Make sure he stays safe."

"I'm staying, too," Ed declared.

Dean sighed. "Okay. My duffle is in the other room. Make a salt circle if you need to. We shouldn't be gone long."

"I'll hold you to that," Emily smirked. "Now, get out of here, Winchester."

Sam, Dean, and the rest of the Ghostfacers left the room, leaving Emily, Ed, and Corbett alone. The house seemed eerily quiet now.

* * *

Ed went over and sat on the couch next to Corbett. Now that they were in better lighting, Emily could see that he was in pretty bad shape. His eyes looked swollen and he was bleeding from the top of his head.

"I'm gonna go get that duffle bag," Emily told Ed. "See if there's anything for first-aid in there."

Before Ed could answer, Emily went into the next room, coming back out with Dean's duffle bag. She set it on the floor next to the couch, opening it up.

"What was I thinking?" She sighed. "Of course there wouldn't be a first-aid kit in here." She spotted a towel and pulled it out. "Here," she said, handing it to Ed, "Hold that on the head wound. Try and stop the bleeding. We can get something for his eye once we get out of here."

Ed took the towel, pressing it against Ed's head. "Can I ask you something?"

"I suppose."

"How did you do the-" Ed waved a hand around, trying to find the right words, "you know."

"You mean what I did earlier, after you guys found us?"

Ed nodded.

"I have powers," Emily admitted. "I found out when I was a kid. Then I lost them a few years ago and only just got them back recently."

"Thank you," Ed muttered.

"For what?"

"Saving his life." Ed nudged his head towards Corbett, who groaned. "I don't know what I'd do without him."

"It was the least I could do," Emily smiled.

The moment was soon lost as the lights began to flicker around the room. Emily cocked the shotgun, looking around the room for Daggett. There was a flicker as he appeared next to her, and the young girl wasted no time shooting him full of rock salt.

"Emily, hey," Sam's voice could be heard over Ed's walkie talkie, "We heard a shot. You guys okay?"

Ed handed Emily the radio. "We're fine. Daggett's here though. You guys find anything?"

"We're still looking."

"Well hurry up." Emily put the radio down to shoot Daggett, before picking it up again. "We got company."

Putting down the radio, Emily pumped the shotgun. Daggett was appearing more frequently this time and it was getting harder to keep up. Aiming the gun as Daggett appeared once more, the only thing that happened was the sound of a click. The shotgun was empty and she had no more ammo.

Daggett began to approach as Emily tossed the gun to the side. She quickly grabbed an iron poker, swinging it straight through the ghost. Daggett appeared again, this time facing Ed and Corbett.

"AAAHHHHH!" Ed screamed, trying to back away.

Emily swung the poker through Daggett again. She tossed Ed the salt that was in the duffle bag. "Make a circle and get you and Corbett inside."

Ed quickly got off the couch, making a large circle on the floor. He helped Corbett walk over to the circle and sat him down. "Hey buddy," he whispered. "It's okay. I'm here."

Daggett appeared once more, moving towards Emily. She readied the poker, ready to swing. Before she had a chance to, however, the ghost of Daggett began to scream as it was engulfed in flames. Panting, and shaking slightly, Emily dropped the poker.

"Is he gone?" Ed asked.

Emily nodded. "They did it. It's over."

Footsteps could be heard as Sam, Dean, and the other Ghostfacers ran into the room.

"You guys okay?" Dean asked.

"We're fine," Emily replied. "So, I'm guessing you guys found something to burn?"

"Yeah," Sam nodded. "That certificate of his."

There was a faint click by where the front door was. Dean went over to it, turning the doorknob. The previously sealed door opened right up. "Let's get out of here."

Dean led everyone out of the house, with Sam carrying Corbett. Ed led Sam to their van so he could lie him down in the back seat. Emily saw him write something on a piece of paper and give it to Ed, before they walked back to the group.

"Hey, so, uh, we still need to edit the footage," Ed began, "but if you guys want to see our first episode, you can come by in a couple days to get an exclusive first look."

Dean looked at the man for a moment, before nodding. "Okay."

"Really?" Emily asked.

Dean shrugged. "Why not? Call us when it's ready and we'll swing by."

Ed nodded. "See you around."

With a wave, he led the rest of the Ghostfacers to the van, before they got in and drove off.

"You know," Emily sighed as she watched them drive off. "I'll be the first to admit. Those guys were actually kinda cool."

"They had their moments," Sam nodded.

Emily began walking back to the Impala.

"Hold on," Dean stopped her. "We gotta talk."

Emily took a deep breath, before turning around. "Okay, look," she said quickly, before Dean could stop her. "I was going to tell you guys I had my powers back, and-"

"Emily-"

"-I know I shouldn't have kept it from you guys, but-"

"Emily-"

"-I was working up how to tell you, and I was going to tell you when we first got here, but then all that stuff started happening with the Ghostfacers-"

"Emily!" Dean's loud voice brought Emily's rambling to a halt. "Sam told me what you did."

"What?"

"He said if it wasn't for you using these powers of yours, Corbett would have died, but thanks to you, you all got out. Now, while I may not be completely on board with you being able to move things just by thinking about it, yet. I can definitely find a way to get used to them."

Emily smiled. "Thanks."

Dean shifted the duffle bag on his shoulder. "Let's get out of here."

They made their way back to the Impala.

"So, how come you introduced yourself by your birth name earlier?" Sam asked as they packed the car.

"Dunno," Emily admitted. "I wanted to try it out, I guess."

"We could start calling you that, if you'd prefer, now," Dean offered. "It might take some getting used to, but Amy is technically speaking, your real name. If you wanna start going by that, let us know."

Emily thought for a moment, then nodded. "Like you said, Amy is my real name. And to be honest, I kinda like it. It feels good, finally knowing who I am."

Sam and Dean looked at eachother, before Dean looked back at the young girl. "Well then, Amelia Jones it is. Welcome to the family."

Closing the trunk of the Impala, Sam, Dean, and Amy got into the car, driving off to a nearby motel, a small smile on the face of the female hunter as they drove off.

* * *

**March 2nd, 2008 - Oshkosh, Wisconsin**

Two days later, Sam got a call from Ed on his cell. They had finished editing the video and wanted them to come by and see it. The three hunters got in the car and headed over to Ed's house.

Ed led them into the garage when they got there. He didn't say much, but Amy could tell he was excited to show them the footage.

"Where's Corbett?" Amy asked.

"Resting at home," Harry replied. "Thanks to you, of course."

"Okay," Ed drew everyone's attention to him. His laptop was open on the computer, ready to play the video. Everybody gathered around the computer. "Here we go."

* * *

They watched the episode unfold on the computer monitor. They watched the Ghostfacers intro, Corbett getting kidnapped, Sam and Amy getting kidnapped and escaping with Corbett alive.

"Nice moves, kid," Dean complimented as they watched Amy fight the ghost of Daggett.

Ed's voice came on screen. "Leap year, February 29th, the Morton House. A tragic day. A day of souls bound in torment, of lives held in cruel balance. But the Ghostfacers, they did the best that they could."

"We almost lost a beloved friend," Harry continued, "but we also gained new allies."

The scene switched to Harry and Ed sitting in a living room, talking to a camera.

"We know this much: that every day, including today, is a new beginning," Ed said. "We learned more than we can say in the brutal feat of the Morton House."

"The Ghostfacers were forced to face something far more scary than ghosts," Harry continued. "They were forced to face themselves."

"War changes Man."

"And Maggie."

Ed nodded. "War changes man. And one woman," he confirmed. "Corbett was able to hold on for us, even through everything that happened to him. He lived to see another day."

"As far as we're concerned, you're not an intern anymore," Harry confirmed. "You have more than earned full Ghostfacer status."

"Yeah. Heh heh," Ed chuckled. "And here we were thinking that, you know, we were teaching you and all this time you were teaching us, about heart, about dedication, and about how gay love can pierce through the veil of death and save the day. Thank you, Alan J. Corbett."

The Ghostfacers logo appeared on screen as the episode ended.

"So, guys, what do you think?" Ed asked. "Are you alright?"

"You know, I kind of think it was half-awesome," Dean admitted.

"Half-awesome?" Maggie asked. "That - that's full-on good, right?"

"I'll admit," Amy shrugged. "I kinda liked how bizarre it was."

"Yeah. It's a real tight rope you guys are walking there," Dean nodded.

"Yeah, all right guys." Sam, Dean, and Amy stood up, walking towards the door.

"Nah, that's reality, man," Ed said from behind them. "Yeah, Corbett almost gave his life searching for the truth, and it's our job over here to share it with the world."

Sam nodded. "Right. Well, um, our experience, you know what you get when you show the world the truth?"

"A straitjacket," Dean answered. "Or a punch in the face. Sometimes both."

"Right," Sam nodded.

Harry scoffed. "Oh come on, guys, don't be 'facer haters just because we happen to have gotten the footage of the century."

Ed nodded. "Oh yeah."

Dean chuckled slightly. "You got us there."

"Yeah."

"Yeah, well we'll see you guys around," Dean said as Sam opened the door and led them out.

"Peace out," Spruce said as Ed closed the door behind them.

The three hunters made their way back to the Impala.

"We clean?" Sam asked once they got to the car.

"Nooooooo!" Ed's distressed voice could be heard in the distance. "Are you kidding me?!"

"Electromagnet wiped out every tape and hard drive that they have," Dean replied.

"The world just isn't ready for the Ghostfacers," Sam sighed.

"It's too bad," Dean nodded. "I kinda liked the show."

"Yeah," Amy added. "It definitely had its moments."

"That it did," Sam confirmed as they got into the Impala and drove off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, okay, yes, I decided to upload every chapter at once. I got tired of waiting a week just to post a chapter I already had written months ago. New chapters will be posted on FFN the day before they're posted here, however, so if you want to read a chapter early, feel free to head over there.


	9. Long Distance Call

**March 28th, 2008 - Gary, Indiana**

Amy pulled her jacket around her as she stood in line for a hot dog. A little over a week ago, she had started officially going by her birth name. It felt weird at first, suddenly going by a completely different name, but she had gotten pretty used to it. And, she liked her new name. There were a couple of slip-ups here and there from Sam and Dean, but it was far less now than before.

She looked behind her to see Dean on the phone, probably talking to Bobby. She and Dean were waiting for Sam to return. The younger Winchester was currently at a nearby university, questioning a professor about the possible whereabouts of Bela.

The young girl watched as Sam walked by her, heading to talk to Dean. She picked up her hotdog and drink before walking back to the bench that Sam and Dean were talking at.

"What the hell else have we been doing lately other than trying to break your deal?" Sam was asking.

"Chasing our tails, that's what," Dean replied as Amy took a bite of her food. "Sam, we've talked to every professor, witch, soothsayer and two-bit carny act in the lower forty-eight. Nobody knows squat! And we can't find Bela, we can't find the Colt. So until we actually find something, I'd like to do my job."

"Well there's one thing we haven't tried yet," Sam began.

Dean turned away, shaking his head. "Sam, no."

"We should summon Ruby," Sam suggested.

"Hell no!" Amy blurted out.

"Em-er, Amy's right," Dean agreed, "And I'm not gonna have this fight with you."

"She said she knows how to save you," Sam yelled.

"She's lying," Amy argued. "She can't be trusted. I told you that when you first met her. During that thing with Isaac and Tamara?"

"And she told me," Dean admitted. "Flat out. She can't save me, nobody can."

Sam nodded, glaring daggers at his older brother. "And you just somehow neglected to mention this to me?"

"Well, I really don't care what that bitch thinks and neither should you, so," Dean trailed off.

"So what, now you're keeping secrets from me, Dean?" Sam asked, stopping his brother in his tracks.

Dean turned back around. "You really wanna talk about who's keeping secrets from who?"

Sam didn't respond as he walked past his brother and Amy.

Dean sighed. "Now where are you going?"

Sam threw his hands up. "Guess I'm going to Ohio," he said before tossing his uneaten food in the garbage can and walking off.

"Damn it," Dean groaned. "Come on. We better go."

Amy quickly finished her food before tossing the wrapper in the trash and running off with him after Sam.

* * *

**Milan, Ohio**

It was a four-hour drive to the Waters' residence. Amy was instructed to wait in the car while Sam and Dean went in to talk to the victim's wife. She waited for what felt like an eternity, but after only a short while, they finally came back to the car.

"What did she say?" Amy asked as Sam and Dean got into the front of the car.

"Well, apparently, Ben was talking to someone on the phone named Linda," Sam replied as Dean started the engine and drove away from the house. "The only problem is that when Mrs. Waters picked up another phone to listen in, all she heard was static. We did get this though." He handed Amy a slip of paper, which read "SHA33" on it.

"S-H-A-thirty-three?" Amy asked. "Where did you get this?"

"Off the phone's caller ID," Sam explained. "It was the last number to call before Ben died."

"Weird," Amy muttered.

"Anything you remember that might be able to help us out?" Dean asked, looking at Amy through his rearview mirror.

"Uh, kinda," Amy said. "I don't remember what type of monster it was, but I do remember that it was, or is, I should say, able to mimic the voice of loved ones. Lure them in and then, well, kill them or, I guess in this case, get them to kill themselves."

"You know of anything like that?" Dean asked his brother.

Sam shook his head. "Maybe Bobby does."

Dean pulled the Impala into the parking lot of the Starburst motel. Sam checked them in and they all headed up to their room.

Sam tossed his bag onto one of the beds. "Okay, I'll call Bobby, see if he knows anything about what we might be hunting. You two see if you can find anything on who Linda is."

"Will do," Amy said as Sam stepped outside.

Dean pulled out Sam's laptop and sat down at the table. "Okay. Let's see what we can find."

He started the search by typing Linda Bateman into the search bar. There were a lot of search results for random people named Linda Bateman, but nothing that seemed to be able to help.

"Wait. There," Amy said, pointing at the screen.

 _ **Linda Bateman Obituary**_.

Dean clicked on the article.

_Tragically, on September 24th, 2005, Linda Bateman was killed in a car crash when a drunk driver hit the car containing Linda and Ben Waters killing Linda instantly and leaving Ben with only a few broken bones. She is survived by her family and boyfriend Ben Waters._

"So Linda was Ben's girlfriend?" Amy asked.

"Looks like it," Dean confirmed as Sam stepped back inside.

"Linda's a babe," Dean told his brother as Sam closed the door to the motel room. "Or, was."

"Did you guys find her?" Sam asked.

Dean nodded. "Yeah, Linda Bateman. She and Ben Waters were high school sweethearts."

"So what happened?"

"Drunk driver hit them head-on," Dean read. "Ben walked away."

"What did Bobby say?" Amy asked.

"He thinks we might be hunting a crocotta," Sam informed them.

"What is that?" Dean asked.

"They're a type of scavenger," Sam explained. "Like Amy said, they can mimic loved ones and lure them in before killing them."

"Did he say anything about the caller I.D.?" Amy asked.

"Turns out it's a phone number."

"A phone number?" Amy asked. "That number's gotta be ancient."

"It is," Sam nodded. "It's at least a century old. From back when phones had cranks."

"So why would this thing be using that number to call people?"

"Beats me," Sam shrugged.

"Okay, so how are we supposed to find this thing?" Dean asked.

"Well, supposedly they live in filth, but they're best known for saying "come to me" to lure in their victims."

"Oh yeah," Amy replied sarcastically, "That sure narrows it down. How the hell are we gonna find this thing?"

"It would have to be someone who has access to every phone number out there, right?" Dean asked.

Sam nodded. "Right."

"Someone like an employee at the phone company?"

"I mean, maybe, yeah," Amy shrugged. "It seems possible."

"Okay," Dean said as he closed the laptop. "Why don't Amy and I go down to the phone company, see if we can't find out where this thing might be. Sam, you go around and talk to the neighbors. See if anyone else has gotten any weird calls."

Sam nodded. "Sure thing, yeah."

* * *

Sam, Dean, and Amy got ready to go and headed out to the Impala. Dean dropped Sam off at a rental car place and he and Amy headed down to the local phone company to get some answers.

"Let me do most of the talking," Dean instructed as he parked the Impala.

"Aye-aye," Amy mumbled, giving Dean a mock salute.

Dean led Amy into the main office for the phone company.

"Good morning," the desk clerk greeted. "How can I help you two?"

"Yeah, hi," Dean said as he pulled out a badge, flashing it to the clerk. "Ed Campbell." He pointed to Amy, who showed her badge as well. "This is my partner, Hannah Smith. We need to speak to whoever's in charge."

"Of course." The clerk smiled. "I'll go grab my supervisor for you guys."

* * *

A few minutes later, Amy and Dean found themselves being led through the basement by the office supervisor.

"Clark Adams," the supervisor greeted, shaking the hand of Dean and Amy. "We don't get many folks from HQ down here."

"Yes well, the main office mentioned that there would be lunch," Dean joked as they walked down the hall.

Amy rolled her eyes.

Clark looked at Dean questionably. "Well, I'm sure we can arrange something. The man you wanna be speaking to is right this..." he trailed off as a fly began to buzz around them. "Sorry. We've got something of a hygiene issue down here if you ask me."

Clark led them into an office. "Stewie? What did I tell you about keeping this place clean."

A man, Stewie, jumped slightly as they entered. He sat at a console with various screens and keyboards. Packets and junk food were strewn about. One of the monitors contained several windows of porn ads.

"Spam mail...spam mail..." Stewie muttered as he quickly tried to close the ads.

"Stewie Myers. Mr. Campbell. Ms. Smith," Clark introduced, pointing at Dean and Amy.

Stewie didn't respond as he continued frantically closing the ads. "I don't know how all this got here..."

Clark angrily flicked Stewie on the back of the head "From headquarters?"

Stewie quickly turned around in his chair, crossing his legs as he looked up at them, laughing nervously.

"Give these two people whatever they need," Clark instructed.

"Yeah," Stewie agreed.

"Thank you," Dean said as the supervisor left.

"Thanks," Amy spoke.

"So...can I help you?" Stewie asked awkwardly.

Dean looked behind him, then turned back to Stewie and smirked. "Is that, ah, Busty Aisian Beauties dot com?" he asked, pointing at the screen.

"No," Stewie replied quickly. Audio from the site played and he quickly closed it, turning back to Dean and Amy. "Maybe."

"A word to the wise?" Dean offered. "Platinum membership? Worth every penny. Ha?"

Amy sighed, pulling out the slip of paper Sam had given her with the ancient phone number on it. "We're, uh, we're here to trace a number," she explained as she handed the paper to Stewie.

"Where did you get this?" Stewie asked as he took the paper.

"Caller I.D.," Amy explained.

Stewie shook his head. "Oh no, that's impossible."

"It hasn't been used in a few years, we know." Dean nodded.

"A few years?" Stewie asked. "It's prehistoric. Trust me, nobody is using this number anymore." He started to hand Amy back the paper.

"Do you think you could run it anyway?" Amy asked.

"Sure," Stewie replied snarkily. "Why don't I just rearrange my whole life first."

Amy and Dean looked at each other.

"Listen, uh, Stewie." Dean smiled, leaning closer. "You got like six kinds of employee code violations down here, not to mention the sickening porn that is clogging up your hard drive." The smile faded as Dean's voice grew louder. "Now when my partner says to run the number, I suggest you run the number!"

Stewie stared up at Dean before sighing and turning back to his desk. He pushed a few buttons and one of the screens filled up with a long list.

"Holy crap," Stewie said in astonishment.

"What?" Amy asked.

"I can't tell you where the number comes from." Stewie began printing the list. "But I can tell you where it's been going."

Amy and Dean looked at each other in confusion.

"What does that mean?" Dean asked.

Stewie stood up and walked to the printer, handing the printed list to Dean.

"Ten different houses in the past few weeks, all got calls from the same number."

The two hunters looked at each other as Stewie sighed and walked between them, sitting back down at his console.

"So, are we done here?" Stewie asked after a moment. "Cause I was...sort of...busy?"

Dean smirked. "Right."

Amy rolled her eyes again as Dean led her out of the room and back to the car.

* * *

As soon as they were back in the car, Dean called Sam, putting the phone on speaker so Amy could listen in.

"Hey," Sam's voice greeted over the phone, "You guys find anything?"

"Yeah," Amy replied. "Apparently at least ten different houses got a call from this number in the past two weeks."

"What about you?" Dean asked. "You find anything?"

"The only person I could find that had a call from that number was a girl named Lanie Greenfield. She received a call from this thing pretending to be her mother. Anyone at the phone company sticks out as being the culprit?"

"The intern's desk was a mess," Amy answered, "There were flies everywhere down in the basement where he worked."

"Think he's our guy?" Sam asked.

"I dunno." Dean shook his head. "I mean, you said these things like to live in filth, right?"

"They do, yeah." Sam agreed.

"Well then maybe he is," Dean continued. "But we still need a way to kill it."

"Well, I looked up the lore on these things says stabbing it in the back of the neck is the only way to kill it."

"Okay, well, Amy and I will meet you back at the motel. We can figure out a plan from there."

"Okay, yeah," Sam agreed. "I'll see you guys there."

Dean hung up the phone, only for it to ring again instantly. He answered the phone, putting it back on speaker.

"Yeah, what?" The older Winchester asked.

The other end of the line had nothing but static.

"Sam?" Dean and Amy asked at the same time.

John Winchester's voice suddenly came onto the line. "Dean?"

Dean froze, looking at Amy.

"Hang up," Amy mouthed.

"Dean, is that you?" John asked.

Dean didn't say anything, instantly hanging up as he tossed the phone into the glove compartment.

"That sounded like your dad," Amy noted.

"Yeah." Dean nodded. "It did."

* * *

Dean ran into the motel room as soon as he parked the Impala, followed quickly by Amy.

"That thing called me," Dean told his brother as he closed the door. "Pretended to be dad."

"What did it sound like?" Sam asked

"Like Oprah!" Dean replied sarcastically. "Like Dad, it sounded like Dad, what do you think?"

"What did it say?"

"My name," Dean recalled.

Sam looked confused. "That's it?"

"I hung up," Dean explained.

"So how are we killing this thing?" Amy asked.

"Well, we know where this thing is hiding," Sam reminded them. "We have stakes we can use. I say our best chance is tonight. Amy and I can go scope the place out first. Make sure this guy really is our guy. Why don't you wait here, in case, you know-"

Dean seemed to understand what his brother meant and nodded. "Yeah, okay. You guys go. I'll just wait here."

* * *

Sam and Amy headed out to the car and drove away from the motel. A short while later, they arrived at the phone company office.

"Stay close," Sam whispered as they crept up to a window that looked into the basement, where Stewie was.

Stewie's desk was still littered with garbage, even more so now, it seemed.

"Ugh." Amy heard Sam make a noise of disgust.

"Told ya this place was a mess."

"Still doesn't prove he's our guy though," Sam noted. "He could just be a slob."

"A slob who works at a phone company?" Amy questioned. "And people are getting phone calls from loved ones?"

Sam nodded. "Might be our guy after all then."

"Should we go get Dean, then?" Amy asked.

Sam shook his head. "We can do this ourselves, right now." He motioned for Amy to follow. "Come on."

The hunters carefully made their way back to the car to grab some stakes. Sam's phone began to ring and he quickly answered it.

"Dean hey," he whispered. "Amy and I are at the phone company. We think we got this thing pinned down." He paused for a moment. "Well then hurry up and get down here, because we've got the perfect opportunity to gank this thing right here and now." Sam hung up and handed a stake to Amy. "Cover me, yeah?" he instructed.

Amy nodded. "Yeah. Sounds like a plan."

They waited until Stewie came out of the building. Sam motioned for Amy to follow, and they quietly ran up to Stewie from behind. Sam shoved the technician up against the car, holding the spike against his neck.

"What the hell!" Stewie exclaimed in surprise.

"I know what you are," Sam snarled.

"Wait, mister," Stewie whimpered.

"And I know how to kill you," Sam finished.

"Please. Okay, wait, wait. If we're overcharging you for the call waiting or something I...I can fix that," Stewie pleaded frantically. "I am your friend!"

Sam and Amy looked at each other in confusion.

"Are we a hundred percent positive this is our guy?" Amy asked again. "Cause I'm starting to have-" She was cut short as a sudden pain was felt on the back of her head, and everything went black.

* * *

Amy groaned as she slowly came to.

"Oh look," she heard the Clark from earlier say, "You're awake now, too."

"Wha-" Amy looked around. She was tied to a chair, her hands bound tightly behind her. She looked to the side to see Sam tied to another chair, and Stewie dead on the floor, a knife deep in his chest.

"My last call with Dean," Sam scoffed at the crocotta. "That was you. You led me here."

"Some calls I make, some calls I take," Clark said in a sing-song voice. "But you have to admit, I had you fooled for a while. All that Edison phone crap." He laughed and moved to the telephone exchange cabinet, placing his hands on the glass.

"What are you doing?" Sam asked.

"I'm killing your brother," Clark explained. "Or maybe I'm killing another guy. We'll just have to see how it goes."

"Amy," Sam whispered. "Get yourself untied, but don't let him find out. Wait for my signal."

Amy nodded, using her powers to quickly untie the wire wrapped around her hands.

"You know, mimicking Dean's one thing," Sam told the crocotta as it pulled the knife out of Stewie. "But my dad? That's a hell of a trick."

"Well once I made your brother and partner here as hunters, it was easy. I found Dean's number, then your number, then your father's numbers. Found out you and Dean were brothers and figured you were a hunter too since you and Dean are related. Emails, voicemails, everything," Clark listed. "You see, people think that stuff just gets erased, but it doesn't. You'd be surprised how much of yourself is just floating out there, waiting to be plucked."

"Dean's not going to fall for this," Sam groaned. "He's not going to kill that guy."

Clark shrugged. "Then the guy kills him." He walked over to Sam's chair, leaning over him. "Technology. Makes life so much easier," he mused. "Used to be I'd hide in the woods for days, weeks, whispering to people, trying to draw them out into the night. But they had community, they all looked out for each other, I'd be lucky to eat one or two souls a year. Now when I'm hungry, I simply make a phone call." He leaned closer, sneering in Sam's face. "You're all so connected. But you've never been so alone."

The crocotta opened its mouth, unhinging its jaw while raising the knife. Sam jumped out of the chair and tackled the crocotta, causing it to drop the knife. Amy jumped out of her chair, ready to fight.

The crocotta reached for the knife, but Amy quickly used her powers to bring it to her instead. The crocotta lunged for her as she grabbed the knife, pinning her to the ground.

"Sam!" Amy shouted, tossing the knife in the air.

Sam caught it, digging the blade into the back of the crocotta's neck.

Amy sighed in relief as the crocotta was killed. She grunted as she pushed the body off of her, letting Sam help her up.

"Thanks."

"Yeah, don't mention it." Sam kicked the body. "You okay?"

"I think so." Amy nodded.

* * *

Sam pulled out his phone, dialing Dean's number as they walked out of the building.

"Dean? Hey, where are you?" Sam asked into the phone as they walked down the hall. "No, it's dead. Turns out it was the supervisor." There was a pause. "Okay, yeah. We'll see you back at the motel."

Sam drove them back to the motel, where Dean was waiting. Dean was holding a washcloth over a cut on his eye.

"Holy crap," Amy exclaimed, "What happened to you?"

Dean took the washcloth away from his face. "Don't worry about it." He stood up. "How'd it go? More importantly, why didn't you call me?"

"I did," Sam explained, "Or I thought I did, anyway."

"The crocotta intercepted the call," Amy finished. "It's how we knew where we were."

"Huh." Dean nodded. "Yeah, it, uh, it called me too. Told me that the demon who holds my contract? He's here."

"And..." Sam trailed off, waiting for Dean to continue.

"I didn't believe him, obviously," Dean confirmed. "I mean the demon if he is here, and that's a big "if", no monster would just tell me the location, right? I mean, I wanted to believe so badly that there was a way outta this. I mean I'm staring down the barrel at this thing. You know, Hell. For real, forever, and I just..."

"Yeah," Sam nodded.

Dean began tearing up. "I'm scared, Sam. I'm really scared."

"I know," Sam said, his voice trembling.

Amy felt a tear fall down her face.

Dean sighed. "I guess I was willing to believe anything. You know, the last act of a desperate man."

"There's nothing wrong with having hope, Dean," Sam assured his brother.

Dean shook his head. "Hope doesn't get you jack squat. I can't expect Dad to show up with some miracle at the last minute." He chuckled slightly. "I can't expect anybody to, you know. I mean the only person that can get me out of this thing is me."

Sam nodded. "And me," he declared.

Dean looked at his brother. "And me?"

"What?" Sam asked in confusion.

"Deep revelation, having a real moment here, that's what you come back with?" Dean questioned. "And me?"

Sam raised his eyebrows. "Uh...do you want a poem?"

"The moment's gone." Dean picked up two beer bottles, handing one to Sam. He handed the other one towards Amy. "Come on, kid. You've earned it."

Amy sighed. She needed to tell Dean what he needed to hear. She knew who held the Winchester's contract.

"The demon who holds your contract isn't a he," Amy admitted. "It's a she."

"What?" Dean asked.

"The demon who holds your contract. I know who it is."

"Have you known this whole time?" Dean asked angrily.

Amy gulped, nodding slowly.

"Well then, who is it?!" Sam shouted.

"Lilith," Amy replied.

Dean didn't say anything for a moment. "You mean to tell me that this whole time we've been trying to figure out who holds my contract and you've known this whole time?" he asked quietly.

Amy nodded, looking down at the floor.

Dean threw his hands up in disbelief. "Unbelievable."

"Why didn't you say anything?" Sam asked.

"You never asked, and I kinda just... I don't know... Stuff happened and I got caught up in everything, and..."

Dean took a sip of his beer. "I can't believe this."

"Well Dean, I mean, now we know who we're looking for," Sam reminded his brother. "We can probably find her a lot faster now."

"We would have found her a lot faster if Emily over here had told us in the first place!"

"Amy."

"What?" Dean asked.

"You know she started going by her birth name a little over a week ago."

"Fine," Dean huffed. "We would have found her a lot faster if Amy over here had told us in the first place!"

"At least we know, now!"

"Yeah, now!"

* * *

Sam and Dean began to argue. Amy quietly slipped out into the night, unnoticed by either brother.

She pulled her jacket tightly around her as she looked over the railing. The door to the motel room remained closed behind her, but she could hear Sam and Dean arguing from behind it.

Sighing to herself, Amy walked down the steps towards the parking lot.

' _Telling Dean what I knew right then and there probably wasn't the best plan_ ,' she thought to herself, ' _but what was I supposed to do? Keep it to myself until he figured it out a couple of weeks before the deal was up_?'

Amy kicked a pebble across the asphalt. She spotted the Impala nearby and walked over to it. Pulling on the handle, she opened the back door and climbed inside, lying down on the seat.

'Maybe I can just hide here until morning,' she thought.

"Amy!" she heard Sam call out. She poked her head up slightly, looking out the window. Sam and Dean were standing outside, both looking worried.

"Amy, where are you?" Dean yelled.

Amy watched them run down the steps and hurry towards the Impala. Quickly lying down in the seat, she closed her eyes, pretending to sleep so she could listen to them talk. She heard Dean open the driver's side door.

"Sam," Dean whispered.

Sam sighed in relief. "Oh thank god."

The back door opened and Amy felt Sam pick her up from the seat, carrying her in a bridal position while she kept her eyes closed. She felt each step as Sam carried her back up to the room and laid her down on the bed.

"God, she's light," Sam whispered as he set her down on the bed.

"You see how small she is," Dean commented. "The girl's as skinny as a twig."

"Yeah," Sam mumbled. "Think we were a bit too hard on her?"

"No," Dean replied instantly. There was a pause. "Maybe. I still wish she had told us sooner though. I mean, who knows what else she knows that she's not telling us. What things could help us."

"I know. But, I mean, she's still kind of new to all of this."

"What? Hunting?" Dean asked.

"Yes, but that wasn't what I was talking about. Amy grew up in a world where our lives are a TV show, right?" Sam asked.

"Right."

"She knows a lot about this show. Including a lot of things we don't yet. One thing on this show leads to another, and all that."

"Okay, so, what are you saying?"

Sam sighed. "I'm saying, she probably doesn't know what will happen if she tells us some major plot point so early on. Butterfly effect and all that, you know?"

"Butterfly effect?" Dean asked.

"Yeah," Sam said. "It's a concept that one miniscule thing can lead to catastrophic changes and events. Like, a butterfly flapping its wings leading to a hurricane."

Dean sighed as well. "I just wish she had told us sooner, is all."

"Well, you can complain to her about it in the morning," Sam said.

There was silence for a while, and Amy began to wonder if Sam and Dean had snuck out of the room so that they wouldn't wake her.

Sam spoke up again. "Look, I don't want to have another argument with you. I'll bet that's why Amy snuck out earlier. Let's just...we can talk to her about it in the morning."

"Yeah, okay," Dean said.

The light went off in the room and Amy heard Sam and Dean climb into the other bed. She waited a few moments before reopening her eyes. Rolling over, she looked at Sam and Dean sleeping and sighed quietly.

' _God, if I could just go back in time and stop myself from telling them what I did, I would_ ,' she thought to herself. She stared up at the ceiling. ' _Or maybe I would have told them sooner? Ugh, I don't even know anymore!_ ' Amy rolled back over, a tear falling down her cheek. ' _Why the hell am I even here. Why do I mess everything up? Why am I so stupid?'_

* * *

Sometime during the night, Amy managed to cry herself to sleep. Sam and Dean were nowhere to be found, but she figured they had just stepped out to get something to eat.

Just as she thought that, the door to the motel opened up and Sam and Dean stepped inside.

"Hey, you're up," Sam said as he closed the door. He was holding a brown paper bag, which he tossed to Amy. "Got you breakfast."

Amy caught the bag. "Thanks," she said quietly. She opened the bag and pulled out a bagel, taking a bite.

"Are you okay?" Dean asked. "You seem quieter than usual."

"Yeah, yeah," Amy said quickly. "I'm okay. Really." She took another bite of her bagel, avoiding Sam and Dean's gazes.

"You're lying," Dean declared.

Amy didn't reply.

"This isn't because of last night, is it?" Sam asked.

Amy stared at her food and nodded reluctantly.

"Well, hey, listen," Dean said, "Maybe I was a little hard on you. It's just weird, you know? I mean you come into our lives, know seemingly everything about us-"

Amy looked up at the hunter. "I get it, Dean," she said, stopping him from saying anymore.

"Look, my point is, we...I'm still getting used to this. To you knowing probably everything about our lives."

"Hey, so am I!" Amy exclaimed. "I've been watching this show since I was nine. I've spent eight years watching over two hundred episodes. And yeah, I know things that'll happen in the future because of it, but I can't tell you." She paused for a moment. "Actually, that's not true. I don't know if I can tell you. For all I know, telling you some major plot point early on could change things. I mean, it's not exactly everyday that you end up inside a TV show. I don't know if I'll mess everything up by telling you who someone secretly is, or what someone's plans are. I just don't want to mess everything up."

Sam and Dean glanced at each other.

"You're not gonna mess everything up, Amy," Sam assured her.

"I probably already have," Amy mumbled, "Just by being here."

"No, you haven't," Sam said, sitting next to her on the bed. "You've been here for almost a full year now, right?"

Amy nodded, but didn't reply.

"And in that year, we've actually gotten through a couple hunts faster because you were there to help us out. The hunt we just did, for example. Without you, we probably would have thought it was a ghost, and might have spent a few days trying to destroy it, only to realize later on that it was a crocotta. But with you here, we were done in a day."

"And then there was Corbett," Dean added. "Without you here, he would be dead. But you knew Daggett would kill him and used that knowledge to save his life. Without you, he would be in the ground, rather than safe at home."

"All, we're trying to say, Amy," Sam told her, "is that you being here has actually made things better. And I know you probably never asked to be here and it was all pretty sudden for you, but Dean and I are glad you're here. Right, Dean?" Sam looked up at his brother.

Dean nodded. "Right."

"And I think Bobby is too. You've helped us a lot since you got here, whether you realize it or not."

"You've become something like a little sister to us," Dean said.

"You're our family," Sam added.

"Family?" Amy asked quietly.

"Yeah." Dean smirked. "The little sister we never had."

"We know you can't tell us everything." Sam continued. "And Dean and I will just have to accept that. But just know that we're glad you're here."

Amy smiled up at the brothers. "You mean it?"

"Yeah," Dean said as he ruffled her hair.

"Stop," Amy laughed as she did her best to fix her hair.

"Alright." Dean clapped his hands together. "I say it's high time we get out of here." He picked up Amy's duffle bag, tossing it to her.

Amy stood up from the bed and packed her things.

"Alright," Dean said as he swung his duffle bag over his shoulder. "Let's get out of this town."

Amy and Sam picked up their bags as well, following Dean out to the Impala. Amy climbed into the backseat and Dean started the engine as Sam put the bags in the trunk. Sam got into the passenger seat and closed the door as Dean drove out of the parking lot and out of town.


	10. No Rest for the Wicked

**April 30th, 2008 - Bobby's house**

Two days. That was how long Dean had until he went to Hell and there was nothing Amy could do about it. She felt helpless as she watched Dean sleep on a book at Bobby's desk.

Dean woke up with a jolt, breathing heavily.

"You okay?" Amy asked.

Dean didn't reply. He looked down at the book he had been reading and closed it as Sam walked in.

"Dig up anything good?" Sam asked.

"No." Dean cleared his throat. "Nothing good."

"Well, Bobby has." Sam grinned. "Finally."

"Yeah?" Dean asked hopefully.

Amy stood up from the couch. "A way to find Lilith, right?"

Yeah," Sam confirmed.

"Oh." Dean nodded. "With just uh," he looked at his watch, "thirty hours to go." Dean smiled. "Hey, why don't we just make a TJ-run, yeah? You know... some _senoritas, cervezas_ , uh, we could... What's Spanish for "donkey show"?"

Amy looked at the floor and smiled.

Sam snickered at his brother's words. "So if we do save you," he said, "let's never do that."

"Yeah." Dean nodded.

Dean looked down at the book and Sam sat next to him.

"Hey, Dean." Sam sighed. "Look, we're cutting it close, I know. But we're gonna get this done. I don't care what it takes, Dean. You're not gonna go to hell. I'm not gonna let you."

Dean looked over at his brother.

"I swear," Sam promised. "Everything's gonna be okay."

Dean suddenly looked away from Sam, looking scared. "Yeah, okay," he finally said, his voice shaking slightly.

Bobby entered the room with a map and a strange device. It had three wooden legs coming out from a crystal ball that had a flat, metal piece with symbols going around it. There was another, bigger metal piece further underneath that and a sharp pendulum device hanging from the ball.

"That to track Lilith?" Sam asked.

"If it works," Bobby confirmed.

The old hunter placed the map on the table and the tracking device in the center.

"So you need a name, that's the whole kit and caboodle," Bobby explained. "With the right name, right ritual, ain't nothing you can't suss out."

"Like the town Lilith's in?" Sam asked.

"Kid, when I get done, we'll know the street," Bobby corrected.

Bobby pushed the pendulum to start the swing and then began chanting something in Latin. The pendulum swung around rapidly around the map, before finally stopping on-

"New Harmony, Indiana," Bobby said. Dean looked up at him. "And we have a winner."

"Alright." Sam pushed the pendulum away. "Let's go." He turned to leave the room.

Dean held out a hand, stopping his brother in his tracks. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Hold on. Let's all shut up there, Tex."

"What's the problem?" Sam questioned.

"What's the problem?" Dean repeated. "Come on, where do I begin? I mean, first of all, even if we could get to Lilith, we have no way to gank her. And second, isn't this the same Lilith that wants your giant head on a pike? Should I continue?"

"Ain't you just bringing down the room," Bobby said.

"What about Ruby's demon knife?" Amy asked.

Dean shook his head. "No. Absolutely not. Just 'cause I gotta die doesn't mean you guys have to, okay? Either we go in smart or we don't go in at all."

"It's a sure-fire way to get us a bona fide demon-killing ginsu," Sam argued.

"Damn it, Sam, no," Dean snapped. He turned his back to Sam, taking a few steps forward towards Bobby's desk.

"We're so past arguing," Sam said calmly. "Dean, I am summoning Ruby."

Dean spun back around. "The hell you are!" he yelled. "We have enough problems as it is."

"Exactly." Sam took a few steps towards his brother. "And we've got no time and no choice either."

Dean shook his head. "Come on man, she is the Miss Universe of lying skanks, okay. She told you that she could save me, huh – lie." His voice grew louder. "She seems to know everything about Lilith but forgot to mention, oh right – Lilith owns my soul!"

"Dean, I don't like this idea either," Amy mentioned, "but Ruby does have a knife that can kill demons, which could be pretty helpful. Especially in the future. Ruby and Lilith aren't the only demons out there, you know!"

"You're the one who suggested it in the first place!" Dean shouted.

"I'm aware of that! I was there," Amy snapped back. "But like I also said, it can be pretty helpful."

"For all we know, she works for Lilith," Dean argued.

"Demon-killing knife," Amy argued back, "Demon." She gestured her hands back and forth, like she was weighing her options. She looked up at the older Winchester. "You got any other ideas then? 'Cause I'd love to hear them."

"The kid's right," Bobby said.

" _No damn it_!" Dean bellowed.

Amy jumped in surprise as everyone stared at Dean.

Dean cleared his throat, his voice calmer as he spoke again. "Just no. We are not gonna make the same mistakes all over again. You guys wanna save me, find something else." He walked back to the table he had been at before, sitting back down as everyone looked at him.

"Where are you going, Bobby?" Sam asked as Bobby grabbed his jacket.

Bobby threw out his arms. "I guess to find something else."

Sam sighed and looked up at the ceiling. After a moment, he turned and left the room as well.

Amy turned to Dean, who was sitting at the desk with a contemplative look on his face. Seeing the look on his face, she figured it would be best to just leave him alone. She sighed before heading outside.

'This story was stolen from Gallifreyan98 on FFN. The original story is titled Fallen and you can find it here: s/13376831/1/Fallen'

Amy walked down the steps and off the porch, wandering aimlessly around the house. After a while, she looked up at the sky, getting an idea.

"Hey Cas, you there?" she asked. "I could really use some help. You know, Dean Winchester? Michael's vessel? Going to hell? Soon? Like, tomorrow soon?"

A tumbleweed blew past her in the wind.

Amy arched an eyebrow. "Chuck? How about you?"

Silence.

Amy sighed. "Yeah, I didn't think so."

Giving up, Amy made her way back inside, where she was promptly met with loud crashing heard in the basement. She hurried downstairs to see Ruby kicking Dean around like a ragdoll while Sam watched in horror.

"Ruby, hey!" Sam yelled as the demon kicked Dean in the face, sending him into a beam. Amy hurried over and stood next to Sam.

Ruby kneed Dean in the stomach, throwing several more punches after.

"Get the knife," Sam instructed, pointing at the knife sticking out of Ruby's back pocket.

Amy wasted no time bringing the knife towards her, holding it up for Dean to see. The older hunter grinned, slowly rising to her feet.

"The hell are you grinning at?" Ruby snarled.

Dean pointed at Amy. "Missing something?"

Ruby turned as Amy held up the demon knife, smirking.

"You bitch," Ruby snarled, rushing towards the girl.

Dean quickly grabbed the demon from behind, throwing her towards the opposite wall. Amy looked up to see that Ruby had landed directly underneath a Devil's trap. Ruby stood up and tried to rush towards Dean, only to be stopped by an invisible wall. Dean smirked.

"Like I said, I knew you'd come," he said, pointing towards the ceiling. He walked towards the staircase, Ruby watching him.

"Wait!" Ruby yelled. "You're just gonna leave me here?"

Dean stopped on the stairs. "Sam, Amy, let's go."

Sam and Amy quickly joined Dean as he walked up the steps.

"Oh, oh you – so you're just too stupid to live, is that it?" Ruby yelled after them. "Then fine! You deserve hell! I wish I could be there, Dean," the demon snarled. "I wish I could smell the flesh sizzle off your bones! I wish I could be there to hear you scream!"

"And I wish you'd shut your pie hole," Dean retorted, "but we don't always get what we want."

The three hunters made their way back up to Bobby's study.

"Alright," Dean said as he laid all their weapons on the table. "Load up your weapons. One of these oughta at least slow down Lilith and we need to be ready."

No one said a word as they began loading their weapons in silence. An eternity seemed to go by before Sam finally spoke.

"We're just gonna let Ruby rot down there?"

"That's the idea," Dean replied, not looking at his brother.

Sam sighed. "Dean, what if, uh," he hesitated. "What if Ruby's right? What if I can take out Lilith?"

Dean glared at his brother as Amy picked up a clip, loading it into her gun.

Sam tossed his gun to the floor. "Quit looking at me like that," he snapped.

'What, are you gonna give her the Carrie-stare and Lilith goes "poof"?" Dean questioned.

"I don't know what Ruby meant," Sam said. "You know, maybe we should just go ask her."

"What Ruby meant?" Amy asked.

"Apparently Ruby thinks Sam here can kill Lilith by himself," Dean explained. "With his mind, or whatever." Dean looked back at his brother. "Sam, you wanted the knife – we got you the knife."

Sam stood up as well. "Dean, just listen to me for a second," he said. "Last time Lilith snapped her fingers and put thirty demons on our ass, and all we got's one little knife?"

"We got a girl who can move things with her mind," Dean pointed out.

Amy stood up. "Okay, even I know that there's no way in hell I'd be able to do anything to Lilith. I just got my powers back a few months ago. If I try to do anything to her, I might as well start writing out a will right now!"

"Amy's right, Dean. How could you even say something like that? It's practically suicide. I mean, like you said, we go in smart or we don't go in at all."

Dean shook his head. "Well, this ain't smart."

"We got one shot at this, Dean," Sam reminded his brother. "Just one. So if there's a sure-fire way then maybe we should just talk about it."

"Sam," Dean said, walking towards his brother as he spoke. "We are not gonna make the same mistake all over again."

"You said that but what does it even mean?" Sam asked.

"Don't you see a pattern here?" Dean asked. "Dad's deal, my deal, now this? I mean every time one of us is – is – is up the creek the other is begging to sell their soul." His voice was growing louder with each word. "That's all this is, man. Ruby's just jerking your chain down the road. You know what it's paved with and you know where it's going."

Amy looked at the floor sadly, thinking of all the deals the brothers had made to save the other throughout the seasons. This was only the beginning and they didn't even know it yet.

"Dean," Sam said, getting Amy's attention. She looked up to see the younger Winchester standing next to his brother at the table. "What do you think is gonna happen? This is me, I can handle it."

Dean shook his head.

"And if it'll save you," Sam continued.

Dean cut his brother off. "Why even risk it?"

"Because you're my brother," Sam said obviously. "Because you did the same thing for me."

"I know." Dean scoffed. "And look how that turned out.

No one said anything for a minute.

"All I'm saying," Dean continued, choking up. "Sammy, all I'm saying is that you're my weak spot." He smiled. "You are. And I'm yours."

"You don't mean that." Sam choked. "We're… we're family."

Amy smiled sadly at those words and looked down at the floor.

"I know," Dean told Sam. "And those evil sons of bitches know it too. I mean, what we'll do for each other, you know, how far we'll go? They're using it against us."

"So what?" Sam asked. "We just stop looking out for each other?"

Dean shook his head. "No, we stop being martyrs, man," he said. "We – we – we stop spreading it for these demons." He held up Ruby's knife. "We take this knife, and we go after Lilith our way. The way Dad taught us to. And if we go down, then, uh... then we go down swinging."

Sam looked at his brother.

"What do you think?" Dean asked.

Sam smirked. "I think you totally should have been jamming "Eye of the Tiger" right there."

"Oh, bite me," Dean said as he rose from the table, setting the knife down. "I totally rehearsed that speech, too."

Sam smiled. "So, Indiana, huh?"

Dean nodded. "Yeah, where Lilith's on shore-leave."

"Yeah, I guess."

"Tell me something," Dean said. Sam and Amy looked at him. "The hell's a demon do for fun?"

"Beats me," Amy sighed. She finished loading her final gun, tossing it into the duffle bag with the other weapons. "When are we leaving?"

"Right now," Dean replied as he zipped up the bag. "Come on."

Dean led Sam and Amy to the Impala. He put the duffle bag into the trunk as Amy got into the backseat and Sam got in on the passenger side. The older Winchester got into the drivers side and put the key into the ignition. He turned the key, but the car only began to sputter.

"Huh," Dean said as he tried the key again. Sam looked at him with a worried expression.

A loud knock on the window next to her made Amy jump. She turned to see Bobby outside the car, holding the distributor cap for the Impala in his hands.

"Where do you think you're going?" The old hunter asked.

Dean groaned as everyone got out of the car. "We got the knife," he told Bobby.

"And you intend to use it without me," Bobby declared.

Sam and Amy stood next to the two men, watching them.

"Do I look like a ditchable prom-date to you?" Bobby asked.

Sam shook his head. "No, Bobby. Of course not."

"This is about me," Dean stated. He looked over at his brother. "And Sam. Okay? This isn't your fight."

Bobby took a few steps towards Dean. "The hell it isn't!" he bellowed.

Dean looked at him in shock.

"Family don't end with blood, boy." Bobby lowered his voice. "Besides, you need me."

"Bobby," Dean sighed.

"You're playing wounded," Bobby continued. "Tell me, how many hallucinations have you had so far?"

Amy sighed as Sam looked at his brother. Dean looked over at Sam and Amy and tilted his head before turning back to Bobby.

"How'd you know?"

"Because that's what happens when you've got hellhounds on your butt," Bobby stated. "And because I'm smart."

Dean looked down at the ground.

"I'll follow," Bobby said as he handed Dean the distributor cap back. He walked back to his car as Dean opened the hood of the Impala. "Don't be stopping to pee every ten minutes either," he yelled.

Dean put the cap back on and closed the hood. The hunters got into the car once more and he put the key back in the ignition, this time starting the engine successfully.

* * *

**May 1st, 2008 - New Harmony, Indiana**

They reached New Harmony around seven that night. Dean only had about five hours left and Amy could tell he was getting nervous.

"Hey, Dean?" Sam asked, breaking the silence.

Dean looked at his brother. "Yeah?"

"You know if this doesn't uh," Sam stammered. "This doesn't go the way we want, I want you to know-"

Dean cut him off, putting a hand up. "No. No, no, no, no."

"No what?" Sam asked.

Dean looked over at Sam. "No, you're not gonna bust out the misty good-bye speech, okay? And if this is my last day on earth, I do not want it to be socially awkward."

Sam looked out the window as Dean turned back to the road.

"You know what I do want?" Dean asked, reaching towards the radio. He turned the dial and Bon Jovi's "Wanted Dead or Alive" started playing.

"Bon Jovi?" Sam questioned.

Dean held up a finger, silencing his brother. "Bon Jovi rocks, on occasion." He looked in the rear-view mirror. "Right, Ames?"

"Yeah it does." Amy smiled.

"And I walk these streets," Dean began to sing. "A loaded six-string on my back. I play for keeps," He turned to Sam, nudging him. "Come on." he smiled. He continued singing. "'Cause I might not make it back. I've been everywhere."

Sam began to sing as well. "Oh yeah."

"And I'm standing tall," Amy joined in. She wasn't someone that normally sang for any reason, but she wanted to have some fun before the day ended.

Sam began to laugh as he and Dean sang together. "I've seen a million faces and I rocked 'em all. 'Cause I'm a cowboy. On a steel horse I ride. I'm wanted-"

Dean stopped singing as he looked over at Sam.

"Wanted!" Sam sang loudly.

"Dead or alive," the three hunters sang.

Amy looked at Dean from the backseat as Sam continued singing, not noticing that he was now singing alone. Her smile faded along with Dean's as she remembered what was about to happen.

* * *

Dean drove the Impala down the dark road, driving past a cop car. The backseat lit up with red and blue lights as the cop turned on the sirens and drove after them.

"We getting pulled over?" Sam asked.

Dean looked in the rear-view mirror. "I've got a busted tail-light." He huffed. "It's not like we're in a hurry or nothing."

"Cop's a demon," Amy recalled as Dean stopped the car.

Dean looked at Sam, who had been ready to hand over the license and registration, but instead put them back in the glove box. He looked back at Amy. "You sure?"

"Positive." Amy nodded. "I remember this part of the episode."

The officer walked up to the open window, a flashlight in his hand.

"Problem officer?" Dean asked as he reached for Ruby's knife.

"Licence and registration, please," the office requested.

"Oh, you know, I would give those to you," Dean replied, not looking at the officer. "But, uh, here's a better idea."

With those words, Dean swung the door open, hitting the demon officer in the stomach. He rushed out of the car, thrusting the knife into the demons jaw. The officer flashed with light before dropping to Dean's feet.

Dean straightened up, panting as he looked at Sam. Bobby pulled his own car up behind them and ran over, looking down at the dead officer.

"What the hell happened?" Bobby demanded.

"Dean just killed a demon," Sam answered. "Amy told him."

Dean nodded. "Yeah, that. And," he pointed the knife at the body, "I could see its face. Its real face under that one."

* * *

The four hunters worked to hide the police car behind some large branches, so nobody would see it. When they were done, Sam turned to his brother.

"So what, now you're seeing demons?" he asked.

"I've seen all kinds of things lately," Dean admitted, "But... nothing like this."

Bobby sighed. "Actually it's not all that crazy."

"How's it not that crazy?" Dean asked.

"You've got about five hours left," Amy replied. "So you've started seeing other demons."

Dean looked at her, but didn't say anything.

"It could come in pretty handy," Sam said.

"Oh, well, I'm glad my doomed soul is good for something," Dean snarked.

"Damn right it is." Bobby nodded. "Lilith's probably got demons stashed all over town. We can't let them sound the alarm. She knows we're here, we're dead before we're started."

"It'll be easier to get past the demons that way too," Amy added.

Dean threw his hands up sarcastically. "Well, this is a terrific plan. I'm excited to be a part of it." He looked back and forth between the other hunters before heading back towards the Impala. "Can we go, please?"

Amy sighed as she followed Sam and Dean back to the car. She crawled into the backseat as Sam and Dean got into the front. Bobby walked up to Dean's window.

"Keep heading towards the street," Bobby told Dean. "We'll park a couple streets down and walk from there."

"Yeah, sure thing Bobby," Dean replied uneasily as he started the engine.

Bobby headed back to his car and Dean drove off back down the road.

* * *

A short while later, they reached their destination. Dean hid the Impala as well as he could and the three hunters got out.

Dean opened the trunk of the Impala, pulling out a pair of binoculars and a few guns, which he handed to Sam and Amy. Bobby parked his own car and met up with them, a rosary in his hands.

"Alright," Dean said as he closed the trunk. "Let's go."

They walked down the street, towards the house, in silence, hiding from the few demons they saw walking down the street. When they reached their destination, the four of them hid in an empty house across the street, to scope out their surroundings.

Sam looked through the binoculars while Amy tried to get a good look inside the house. A little girl in a white, bloody dress was sitting at the table while a woman served her a piece of cake. A man could be seen getting out of his chair while an older man lay at the end of the table with his head on a plate.

"It's the little girl." Dean groaned in disgust. "Her face is awful."

Sam lowered the binoculars. "Alright then, let's go. We're wasting time." He stood up and walked towards the door.

"Wait!" Dean hissed, grabbing Sam's arm.

Sam spun around. "For what? For it to kill the rest of them?"

Dean nodded, releasing his brothers arm. "Yeah, and us too if we're not careful." He pointed outside. "Look. See the real go-getter mailman on the clock at nine p.m.?"

Amy looked out the window to see a mailman sorting mail at the back of his truck.

Dean pointed at a different location. "And Mr. Rogers over there."

"Demons?" Bobby asked.

"Yes."

Sam lowered the binoculars again. "Ok, fine. We – we – we – we," he stumbled over his words, "We ninja past those guys, sneak in."

"Then what?" Dean asked. "Give a "Colombian necktie" to a ten-year-old girl, come on!"

"Look, Dean, I know it's awful," Sam said.

"You think?"

"This isn't just about saving you, Dean," Sam argued. "This is about saving everybody."

"She's gotta be stopped, son," Bobby said.

"I hate this so much," Amy admitted. "God, why'd she have to possess a little girl?"

"'Cause she knew we'd hesitate killing her."

Dean sighed, looking back out the window. "Oh, damn it."

Bobby pulled out the rosary. "You all know the plan, right?"

Everyone nodded.

"Good. You know where I'll be." Bobby headed outside, making his way to the sprinkler system.

Dean led Sam and Amy across the street to the back of a random house. Sam and Amy hid behind the house while Dean went to bring the demon mailman towards them. Footsteps could be heard as Dean ran towards them. He ran past Sam, who rounded the corner and plunged Ruby's knife into the demon. Dean put a hand over the mailman's mouth as the demon flashed with light a few times before dropping to the ground.

Mr. Rogers came running around the corner next, but Sam was quick to stab him with the knife. Amy helped Dean drag the body out of view before he took off to lead more demons towards them.

"Dean's taking too long," Sam stated.

Amy looked at her watch. "It's only been a couple minutes."

Sam ignored her, staring off into the distance. "Come on," he said, leading her the way Dean had run earlier.

* * *

They quickly found Dean, pinned up against a fence by Ruby. Sam kept moving, but Amy stopped, looking at the demon. Was Lilith possessing her yet? She probably was, but Amy had no way to be sure. She quietly crept behind Sam as they approached Ruby and Dean.

"I'd like my knife back, please," the demon snarled as Sam and Amy snuck up behind them. "Or your neck snaps like a chicken bone."

Sam snuck up behind Ruby, holding the knife to her throat. "He doesn't have it. Take it easy."

Ruby backed away from Dean, releasing her from her grasp.

"How the hell did you get out?" Dean asked.

Ruby crossed her arms. "What you don't know about me could fill a book."

Dean suddenly recoiled in fear. "Whoa."

"What?" Ruby asked.

Dean looked around, avoiding eye contact with Ruby. "Nothing. I just – I couldn't see you before, but you're one ugly broad."

Ruby huffed angrily. "Sam, give me the knife before you hurt yourself," she ordered.

"Not a chance," Amy said, crossing her arms.

"You'll get it when this is over," Sam declared.

"It's already over," Ruby insisted. "I gave you a way to save Dean, you shot me down." She nodded her head towards Dean. "Now it's too late. He's dead. And I'm not gonna let you die too."

"Try and stop me, and I'll kill you." Sam pointed the knife towards Ruby. "Bitch."

Ruby took a step forward. "Hit me with your best shot, baby."

Amy spotted something out of the corner of her eye and looked towards the street. Several demons were standing on the street in front of the house, looking directly at all four of them.

"Uh, guys?" Amy asked, trying to get everyone's attention.

"Guys, guys!" Dean shouted. "Hey. Have your little catfight later."

Sam and Ruby looked over to see all the demons, including a man and his son, two men, and another man with a briefcase.

Dean shrugged. "So much for the element of surprise."

Sam started pushing Dean and Amy. "Go. Go. Run. Run!"

Amy picked up her pace as they ran as fast as they could towards Lilith's house. More demons began chasing after them as they ran through a gate and towards the porch.

Sam reached the house first and began picking the lock. He struggled to unlock the door as the demons quickly approached.

"What the hell is taking Bobby so long?" Dean asked.

"Sam, hurry up!" Amy yelled as the demons got closer.

"I'm trying!" Sam shouted back.

Amy looked back to see Sam still struggling with the lock. "Here!" she said, turning towards the door. "Move!"

Sam quickly moved back to let Amy unlock the door. She easily unlocked it with her powers and pushed the door open, letting everyone run inside, before following them in.

Amy locked the door behind them and looked out the window to see the demons reach the lawn. Just as they did, the sprinklers came on. A demon that had been running along the grass began to flail around and scream.

"Looks like Bobby's plan worked," she stated. She followed the Winchester brothers and the demon through the dark house.

"You think Lilith knows we're here?" Dean asked.

"Probably," Ruby nodded.

Now Amy knew her suspicions were right. She kept an eye on the demon as she approached Sam.

"Sam," Amy whispered, stopping the hunter in his tracks.

Sam turned to face her. "What is it?"

"Listen, I wasn't sure about it before, but I am now," Amy said. "I don't think that's Ruby. I'm pretty sure that's Lilith."

"Are you sure?" Sam asked.

"Not completely," Amy admitted, "but in the episode Lilith possesses Ruby's vessel. Only problem is, we never see the possession happen and all we learn is that Lilith has been possessing Ruby for quote a while." She sighed. "I think the possession has already happened, but I don't want to mess anything up if I'm wrong."

Sam looked towards the direction Dean and Ruby or Lilith had walked in, glaring. "Keep an eye on Ruby for me. If she does anything that confirms or denies your suspicions, let me know."

They caught up with Ruby and Dean in the living room. A faint creak was heard nearby and Dean quickly spun around, placing a hand over the man's mouth. It was the same man they had seen earlier through the binoculars.

"We're here to help. Okay?" Dean whispered. "I'm gonna move my hand, and we're gonna talk nice and quiet, okay?"

The man nodded and Dean removed his hand.

"Sir, where is your daughter?" Sam asked.

The man began whimpering. "It's not... it's not her anymore."

"Where is she?" Sam repeated.

"Upstairs." The man pointed. "In her bedroom."

"Okay, okay, okay," Dean whispered. "Listen to me. I want you to go downstairs to the basement. Put a line of salt at the door behind you. Do you understand me?"

"Not without my wife," the man declared.

"You're gonna have to go without your wife sir," Amy said.

The man shook his head. "No," he said, his voice shaking.

Dean rolled his eyes before punching the man, knocking him out. He threw the body over his shoulder and walked through the room, the others close behind.

Sam, Amy, and Ruby crept along upstairs as Dean put the man in the basement. Sam led the way, holding Ruby's knife in front of him. He listened against the bedroom door, before quietly opening it and slipping in.

Amy could see a bed with thin drapes, pushed against the wall. On it was the woman and little girl from earlier. Sam approached the bed and pulled back the drapes. The little girl was nuzzled into the woman's shoulder, who was breathing heavily. She looked up at Sam .

"Do it!" The woman whispered.

Amy watched as Sam slowly raised the knife.

"Do it," The woman whispered again, frantically.

Amy grabbed Sam's arm before he had a chance to do anything else.

Sam looked at her in confusion as the little girl started to wake up.

"I remember this part," Amy said, "it's not in her anymore."

At that moment, the little girl woke up, screaming when she saw Sam standing there holding the knife. Dean ran in with Ruby.

"It's not her!" Dean shouted as he ran into the room.

"I know," Sam said, breathing heavily.

The little girl began to whimper. "Mommy!"

"Mommy's here. Mommy's here. It's okay."

"We need to get these guys out of here," Amy pointed out.

Sam put the knife away. "Right. Yeah, come on."

The three hunters and demon led the woman and little girl down the stairs.

"Alright, no matter what you hear. You, your husband and your daughter stay in the basement," Dean instructed. He followed them into the basement as Sam, Amy, and Ruby stood upstairs.

"Well, I hate to be a "told you so"," Ruby snarked.

Sam looked at Amy. He didn't need to say anything, but Amy knew exactly what he was asking. She nodded.

Sam slowly pulled out the knife. "Yeah." He chuckled quietly before spinning around and pinning the demon to the wall, holding the knife to her throat.

"What the hell are you doing?" The demon yelled.

"I wondered how you got out of that trap," Sam said. "I should have known it was you. Lilith."

"Have you gone insane? Let go of me!"

"Maybe," Sam admitted.

Dean ran up the stairs, joining them once more in the living room. "What the hell's going on?"

"That's not Ruby," Amy replied.

The demon rolled her eyes. "You've all lost it. I'm trying to help you!"

"Enough games, Lilith!" Sam bellowed.

Lilith looked fearfully at Sam for a moment, before smirking. Her eyes turned white.

"How'd you figure it out so fast?" Lilith asked.

"Oh no." Sam shook his head. "No time for talking. I kill you now, this deal goes away, right?"

Lilith laughed. "Is that what you think is going to happen?" She tilted her head. "Sweetheart, your brothers dog kibble now. No getting out now."

"I don't believe you," Sam snarled.

"Sam," Dean spoke up.

Sam ignored his brother, glaring at Lilith.

"Sam!" Dean shouted, pulling his brother away.

"Don't, Dean!" Sam struggled in his brother's arms. "I'm not gonna let you go to hell, Dean!"

"Yes, you are!" Dean shouted. He took a deep breath. "Yes, you are," he repeated, calmer.

Sam stared at his brother.

"I'm sorry," Dean continued. "I mean this is all my fault, I know that. But what you're doing, it's not gonna save me. It's only gonna kill you."

"Then, what am I supposed to do?" Sam asked shakily.

"Keep fighting," Dean instructed. "Take care of my wheels. Sam, remember what Dad taught you... okay?"

Tears began to well up in Sam's eyes.

Dean looked at Amy. "Take care of the kid too," he continued. "And remember what I taught you."

* * *

**May 2nd, 2008**

The clock began to strike midnight and Sam, Dean, and Amy's faces dropped.

Dean looked at something down the hall. "Hellhound."

Amy and Sam looked at where Dean was looking, but couldn't see anything. "Where?"

Dean pointed at a spot next to the dining room table. "There."

Dean began to run and Sam and Amy followed. They ran into another room, closing the doors. Sam quickly poured goofer dust in front of the door.

"That dust isn't gonna hold forever," Amy pointed out.

"Yeah, and it's not gonna hold Lilith back either," Dean stated.

"You got that right," a voice said behind them.

Amy spun around to see Lilith standing behind her. Before she could do anything, Lilith threw them all against the wall.

Lilith approached Sam, grabbing his chin so he was forced to face her. She kissed him on the lips and Amy heard a sizzling noise as their lips met.

Lilith pulled away. "Your lips are soft."

Sam moved his head away, trying to get loose. "Right, so you have me," he stated. "Let my brother go."

"Silly goose." Lilith smirked. "You wanna bargain, you have to have something that I want. You don't."

Amy tried using her powers on Lilith, but that quickly proved to be useless. The demon turned to her.

"That tickles." She stepped up to her. "You don't have the strength to do anything to me."

"So, is this your big plan, huh?" Dean asked from the table he was restrained to. "Drag me to hell. Kill Sam. And then what? Become queen bitch?"

Lilith straightened up, turning to Dean. "I don't have to answer to puppy chow." She walked over to the door and grabbed the handle, keeping her eyes on Dean the entire time. "Sic 'em, boy."

Lilith opened the door and the dust blew away. Amy watched as something grabbed Dean and pulled him from the table.

"No!" Amy screeched as she watched something invisible tear through Dean. The lights began to flicker rapidly.

"No! Stop!" Sam ordered.

Dean's right leg was slashed and he began to scream in pain as the Hellhound attacked his chest.

" _Stop it_!" Sam yelled as Dean rolled over onto his stomach. The hound began to slash his back and shoulder.

"Dean!" Amy began crying uncontrollably as she watched the man slowly die in front of her. Random items began to fly around the room as her powers got out of control.

"No!" Sam yelled. "No. Stop it."

Dean rolled back over, blood pouring from his chest. He wasn't screaming anymore, but Amy could tell he wasn't dead yet.

" _Stop it! No!_!"

Lilith smiled at Sam. "Yes." She held up a hand and a bright, white light erupted from her palm. A moment later, it retracted to reveal Sam huddled in the corner, eyes closed. Her white eyes slowly turned back to normal as Sam stood up, grabbing the knife.

Lilith held out a hand. "Back," she ordered.

Sam kept walking toward her.

"I said, back."

Sam pulled back his hand. "I don't think so."

He moved his hand to stab Lilith, but the demon left Ruby's body just before he could.

Amy watched as the black smoke left through the ventilation in the roof. She looked down to see Dean's body on the floor. His eyes were open, blank and dull as he stared into nothingness. She slowly sank to the floor as Sam picked up his brother's body, holding him close.

"No... no... Dean..." Sam began to cry. "Dean..."

* * *

Amy barely registered what happened during the next few hours. Sam wrapped his brother's body up in sheets and silently carried him out of the house. She followed behind as Sam walked outside, where Bobby was waiting. They walked back to the cars, where Sam loaded his brother's body into the trunk.

Sam got into the Impala and drove off, with Bobby and Amy close behind in Bobby's car, driving in silence.

* * *

**Pontiac, Illinois**

A few hours later, Sam pulled over to the side of the road. Bobby pulled his car over and he and Amy got out. Sam pulled a shovel out of the Impala and began digging a grave, only letting Bobby help when his own strength faltered. Amy stood off to the side, too distraught to do anything.

She only stepped forward when Bobby motioned her forward. Sliding past Sam, who barely noticed her, she looked down at Dean's grave, a tear falling from her eye.

"I'm sorry, Dean," Amy whispered.

"Come on," Bobby said, pulling her away. "Let him grieve in peace."

Amy let Bobby lead her away. She walked back to Bobby's car, silently getting into the passenger seat. Bobby got in as well, starting up the engine. Amy turned to see Sam, still standing over Dean's grave.

A few minutes later, Sam slowly turned and walked back to the Impala. He got in, starting up the engine and driving away, with Bobby and Amy close behind.


	11. Gone but Not Forgotten

**May 3rd, 2008 - Bobby's house**

Amy opened her eyes as sunlight streamed in through her bedroom window.

She slowly sat up, remembering the events from the night before. Sam hadn't returned to Bobby's that night and Bobby had thought it was best not to bother him for the time being.

Amy stood up, stretching her arms. After running a brush through her messy, knotted hair, she made her way over to her dresser. The floorboards creaked as she slipped on a pair of black jeans and a t-shirt before heading downstairs.

"Morning," Amy said, giving Bobby a half-hearted smile as she entered the kitchen.

Bobby grunted in response. "Cereal's in the kitchen."

"Thanks," Amy mumbled as she walked in there. She found an almost-empty box of cereal in a cupboard above the fridge. It was one of her favorites, so she was happy to finish it off. After pouring herself a bowl, she made her way back to the dining room and sat down across from Bobby.

"I could use some help in the junkyard today," Bobby said, "if you're feeling up to it, that is." He looked grim as he finished speaking.

Amy nodded. "Yeah, sure thing. Maybe it'll help get my mind off things, you know?"

Bobby nodded. "Good." He stood up. "Meet me outside when you're ready."

Amy sighed as Bobby walked out of the room, leaving her alone. She glanced down at her breakfast, spinning the spoon around in the bowl. The barely-eaten cereal was slowly starting to get soggy, but she couldn't bring herself to eat any of it. Standing back up, Amy took her bowl to the sink, dumping it out before setting the bowl down.

She slipped on her shoes, and headed outside to meet Bobby.

Amy quickly found Bobby working on a car nearby and made her way over to him.

"Hand me that spark plug, would you?" Bobby asked. He was working on something under the hood of the car and didn't even look up at her as she approached.

Amy handed Bobby the requested item. "Is there anything else I can help out with out here?"

"Standing out here, handing me things I need not good enough for ya?"

"I just meant, is there anything I might be able to work on by myself?"

Bobby straightened up. "You remember how to change a tire, right?"

Amy nodded. "Of course."

"Good." Bobby pointed to a nearby car. "Tires on that car right there need to be changed. Just the back two. You can find everything you need right next to it."

"Sure thing." Amy walked over to the car to examine it.

Once Amy finished, she wiped her hands off and walked back to Bobby. "Finished!" she exclaimed.

Bobby stood up to examine her work and nodded. "Not too shabby, kid." He reached into his pocket and pulled something out. "Here," he said as he tossed the item to Amy.

Amy caught what Bobby had tossed to her, examining them to discover that the old hunter had tossed her a set of keys. She held them up. "What are these for?"

"Those are the keys to the car you just fixed," Bobby explained. "And now they're yours."

Amy looked at the keys in confusion. "Thanks, but I already have a car."

"That piece of junk you have now is practically all rust at this point," Bobby said. "This one's way better and now that you've been here a while, you'll need something you can actually use."

Amy pocketed the keys. "Thank you."

"Say, you, uh, you haven't heard from Sam yet have you?"

Amy shook her head. "No. I can't imagine he'd wanna talk to me though. I'm pretty sure he blames me for what happened."

"Don't beat yourself up over this, kid," Bobby said. "What could you have possibly done?"

"I could have told Sam the truth!" Amy yelled, suddenly angry, with tears welling up in her eyes and her voice shaking. "I could have told Sam that there was nothing he could have done to save Dean. I could have told him sooner that Lilith was possessing Ruby. I could have told him...I could have done something." Amy's voice grew softer. "I should have done something."

"Kid, you've been here a year," Bobby told her. "The fact that you still remember anything from this show baffles me."

"I grew up watching this show, Bobby. I've been watching since I was probably ten years old. I may not remember everything, but things like Dean going to hell-" Amy crossed her arms, shifting her weight around on her feet, "-that's not something you forget easily."

"Don't beat yourself up," Bobby said. "Dean knew there was nothing that could have been done and you did too. You shouldn't beat yourself up over something like this."

Amy sighed and nodded reluctantly. "Yeah. I'm gonna head on inside. Let me know if you need any help with anything else."

Bobby grunted in response and went back to working under the hood.

Amy headed inside the house, only to stand around for a moment, and immediately go back out the front door. Bored out of her mind, she began kicking around a soccer ball. Slowly at first, but eventually she began trying to see how long she could keep the ball in the air. As she did, memories of the soccer team she played on at school began flooding in.

**Flashback: April 25th, 2008 (other universe)**

Nine-year-old Emily stood on the edge of the soccer field, dressed in a uniform that was the smallest size available, but still slightly too big on her. It was the first soccer game of the season and she was more than ready to play. She rocked back and forth eagerly on her feet, unable to contain her excitement.

Emily looked around. Everyone's parents had come to support their children and a little girl had just received a stuffed panda bear from her moms.

Emily looked around some more, looking for any sign of Ms. Claudwell and the other girls. Finally, she spotted them getting out of the minivan. The girls all ran up to her, giving Emily a big hug.

"Good luck today, Emily," Ms. Claudwell told her with a big smile.

"Thank you!"

Emily's coach blew the whistle, calling all the girls on her team over.

"I gotta go," Emily told the girls, before running off.

Emily quickly ran over to join her team. After their coach talked to them for a minute, they were ready to play.

The soccer ball darted across the field and Emily moved as fast as she could to catch up to it. Her tiny feet carried her across the grass and another girl sprinted past her, kicking the ball away further away. Emily began slowing down, almost giving up.

"Come on! Don't stop now!"

Emily looked back to see Ms. Claudwell and the other girls cheering her on. Grinning ear-to-ear, Emily began running faster. She kicked the ball away from the other girl and scored a goal.

The rest of the game went by smoothly. Emily's team ended up coming in second place, but she didn't care because she was still delighted with her success. She ran out with the other girls onto the field to play their own soccer game while everyone else packed up to go home.

**Flashback end:**

Amy kicked the soccer ball back and forth at the side of the house, finally stopping when she got bored. She sighed, wondering what to do.

"'Sup kiddo?"

Amy turned around to see Gabe standing behind her. "Hi." Normally, it would have made her happy to see him, but today it didn't.

Gabe arched an eyebrow. "You don't look so good."

"Thank you, Captain Obvious." Amy rolled her eyes. "I'm just not in a great mood today."

Gabe seemed to finally understand what was going on. "Oh. Because of...?"

Amy nodded. "Yeah. Happened last night."

Gabriel looked disgruntled. "Shit. I'm sorry, kid."

Amy rolled the soccer ball around under her feet. "Why do you care?" she asked.

Gabe suddenly looked taken aback. "Whoa! I can just leave if that's what you prefer." He turned around and started walking away.

"No, wait!" Amy called after him, realizing what she had just said. The archangel stopped, turning back to face her. "I'm sorry, don't go!"

"Hey, I get it kid, I really do," Gabe told her, walking back. "It's not easy losing family."

"No." Amy shook her head. "It's not. Especially after you just got one."

"Hey, Amy, you out here?" Bobby called from the house.

"You started going by your birth name?" Gabe asked.

Amy nodded. "Yeah, a couple months ago."

"Kid?"

"I think I better go see what he wants," Amy said, nodding her head towards the house.

"Which means, that's my cue to leave." Gabe bent down, giving the small girl a hug. "Take care of yourself, kid."

"You too," Amy replied as she hugged the archangel back.

With a flutter of wings, Gabe left her standing alone once more.

"There you are," Bobby said as he rounded the corner. "Didn't you hear me calling you? The hell are you doing out here anyway?"

"Oh, no, sorry," Amy said. "Just kicking around a soccer ball. What's up?"

"I need you to run to the store for me, pick up a few things." Bobby handed her a list.

Amy took the shopping list. "Sure thing." She looked down at the paper in her hands. "Beer?" she asked incredulously. "Bobby, I'm only eighteen. I won't be able to pick this up."

"I already called the store and let them know you'd be coming," Bobby assured her. "Any problems, have them call me."

Amy nodded. "If you say so." She pocketed the list and walked towards her new car. After checking to make sure her wallet was in her pocket, she started the engine and drove down the road.

Ten minutes later, she pulled into the parking lot of the drug store. Grabbing her phone and wallet, she got out of her car and headed inside.

Amy walked around the store, grabbing a gallon of milk, a new box of cereal, a container of salt, and the pack of beer Bobby had requested, placing them all into her cart. Once she was done, she brought them up to the register.

"Find everything okay?" the cashier asked as he rang her up.

"Yeah, thanks," Amy replied.

The cashier got to the beer. He pointed to Amy. "What's your name?"

"Amy. Bobby said he called and let you know I was coming."

"He did, but he never said how old you were."

"I'm eighteen."

The cashier shook his head. "Then I'm sorry, but it can't sell this to you."

Amy cocked an eyebrow. "Bobby said if there were any problems, to have you call him."

"Do you have a number I can call?"

Amy nodded as the cashier picked up the phone. She rattled off the number and the cashier dialed it, placing the phone to his ear.

"Hi, is this Bobby?" Pause. "Yeah, I have Amy here trying to buy a pack of beer. You called earlier and told me that she'd be coming but-" the cashier stopped as he listened to Bobby. *Yes, I understand that sir, but she's underage. I can't legally sell this to her." Another pause. Bobby's voice could be heard yelling over the phone as the cashier got a terrified expression on his face. "I could get fired for this!" Another another pause. "Right away, sir." With that, the cashier hung up the phone, immediately ringing up the beer.

"Have a nice day!" he said as he handed Amy her bags.

"You too!" Amy waved as she headed out to her car. She put the bags into the backseat, and drove off.

"Took ya long enough," Bobby said as Amy walked through the front door.

Amy set the bags on the counter, pulling out the groceries and putting them away. "Sorry!" she said. "The cashier almost didn't let me buy the beer because I'm not twenty-one."

Bobby huffed. "Toss me one of those, would ya?"

Amy sighed, pulling out a beer bottle and handing it to Bobby. "I'll be in my room."

Amy walked upstairs to her bedroom. She kicked off her shoes, throwing herself onto her bed.

"Hurry up Castiel," she whispered to the ceiling, knowing it was to basically no avail. Dean would still return from hell on September eighteenth, later this year. She hoped that was still the case, at least.

The next day, Amy woke up to voices downstairs. It sounded like Bobby was talking to someone. She slowly opened her door, creeping downstairs to get a better view.

"She knew, Bobby!" Sam yelled.

"It ain't her fault, boy," Bobby argued.

"She could have saved Dean," Sam bellowed back.

"And for what? Your life instead?"

Amy decided she had heard enough, and turned around to go back into her room.

_*Creak*_

There was silence from downstairs.

"Is she here?" Sam asked, his voice filled with rage.

"Leave her alone," Bobby snapped.

Amy quickly ran towards her room as loud footsteps pounded up the stairs. She had almost made it to the door when Sam grabbed her from behind, spun her around, and pinned her to the wall.

"You knew!" Sam yelled in her face. "You knew Dean would die and you didn't do anything to stop it."

"There was nothing I could have done." Amy snapped. "Nothing that could have changed anything anyway."

"Bullshit!" The hunter spat, shoving her harder into the wall. "We could have saved him and you knew it."

Bobby stormed up the steps. "Let her go, Sam."

"She killed Dean!"

"It ain't her fault!" Bobby bellowed. "Now let her go!"

Sam glared at Amy before reluctantly dropping her to the floor. Amy wasted no time running down the stairs and out of the house.

Amy ran through the junkyard, hiding amongst the cars.

"Cas, answer me, please!" she yelled desperately.

"Why are you yelling for my brother?"

Amy spun around to see that Gabe had returned. "It's about Dean," she said quickly, "and the first seal."

Gabe's eyes widened. "What?"

"You know that whole, when a righteous man sheds blood in hell thing?"

Gabe nodded.

"In a few months, that'll be Dean." Amy's voice was filled with panic as she desperately tried to explain the situation. "Castiel is the one that pulls him from hell but by the time be does, Dean will have already caved."

"How long do we have?"

"Four months."

Gabe quickly flew away without another word, leaving Amy alone once more.

"Oh come on!" she yelled, kicking the tire of a nearby car. A tear streamed down her cheek as she lay down on top of the car, curling into a ball as she began to shake with sobs.

Amy woke up the next morning, still on top of the car. She groaned as she rolled onto the hood and off the car, stretching her stiff muscles.

Amy slowly made her way back to the house, quietly opening the door to make sure the coast was clear. When she didn't see Sam anywhere in view, she headed inside.

She made her way to the kitchen to find Bobby sitting at the table, with Sam sitting across from him. "Hey," she greeted quietly.

"Thought you left," Bobby huffed.

Amy shook her head. "I fell asleep on one of the cars outside."

Sam stood up, storming away without a word, and slamming the door behind him.

"Ignore him," Bobby told Amy, "he's been through a lot."

"We all have," Amy admitted as she poured herself a bowl of cereal, sitting down at the table with Bobby.

The sound of the Impala starting directed both hunter's attention to the window.

"Where the hell does he think he's going?" Bobby growled.

Amy stared out the window as Sam drove away. "I don't know," she said. "I have a feeling we won't see him for a while, though."


	12. Lazarus Rising

**September 18th, 2008 - Bobby's house**

Four months. That was how long Amy had been with Bobby. Four months was also how long it had been since either of them had seen Sam. During that time, she had helped Bobby out on hunts and in the junkyard. They searched for Sam for a couple months also, but after a while, it became pretty apparent that he didn't want to be found.

Amy woke up one morning to find that September 18th had arrived.

 _'Why does that date sound so familiar?_ ' Amy thought as she stared up at the ceiling. She knew today was important to the fandom. What exactly that something was, she couldnt quite-. Amy suddenly sat up, realizing what made today so special. ' _Oh crap! This is the day Dean comes back!_ '

Amy quickly jumped out of bed. She slipped into a pair of black skinny jeans and her black converse, with a matching black tee before running downstairs, almost tripping over her own feet as she did so.

"Hey, be careful over there," Bobby said from the kitchen as Amy almost tumbled down the stairs. "Don't need you breaking your neck or nothing."

"Sorry," Amy said as she picked herself up, "I'm just a little excited is all."

"What's there to be excited about?" Bobby asked. "It's not your birthday is it?"

Amy shook her head. "That was a couple months ago."

"Well it's not Christmas," Bobby continued. "Or Halloween, which I know you love. So what is it?"

Amy opened her mouth to tell him why she was so excited. As soon as she did so though, something came over her. Something that told her revealing the giant surprise now wouldn't be a good idea.

"I can't tell you," she finally said. "But it's huge. Massive even."

Bobby rolled his eyes. "All that excitement over something and you can't even tell me? It's something to do with the show ain't it?"

Amy nodded. "Something that happens today, and when it does, I guarantee you'll be surprised."

Bobby rolled his eyes once more. "Idjit."

Amy grabbed a bowl of cereal and sat down at the table with Bobby. Not long after she did, the phone rang.

Amy leaned forward anxiously as Bobby answered the phone.

"Yeah?" Bobby answered gruffly. There was a pause. "Yeah?" He asked again. "Who's "me"?" There was a final pause before Bobby hung up without another word.

"Who was it?" Amy asked.

"Someone pretending to be Dean."

Amy nodded, but didn't say anything.

The phone rang again a moment later and Bobby picked it up angrily.

"Who is this?" the old hunter snarled. There was a pause. "This ain't funny. Call again, I'll kill ya." Bobby slammed the phone back down.

Amy ate her breakfast in silence, afraid to say anything that might anger Bobby even more. She finished eating and put her bowl in the sink.

"I'm gonna head to the store," she announced from the kitchen as she grabbed her keys. "Gotta pick up few things. You need anything while I'm out?"

"We're out of milk," Bobby grunted.

"Milk," Amy repeated, "Got it. I'll be back!" She opened the front door and headed out to her car.

Amy drove down the road towards the nearest Target. She parked her car and grabbed her wallet, heading inside the store, grabbing a cart on the way in. She meandered her way slowly through the store, knowing she had a few hours at least, to kill before Dean got back. Walking down each aisle, she grabbed herself some new items for her bathroom, including a new hairbrush and some grapefruit-scented face wipes. She grabbed the milk for Bobby and some more food for the kitchen last before heading to the self-checkout. After paying for everything, she headed back out to her car, loading the bags into the trunk before getting into the driver's seat and driving back towards Bobby's.

Overall, she had only been gone a little over an hour. Amy pulled back up in front of Bobby's a little before noon, parking her car in front of the porch. She grabbed the bags from the trunk and headed inside.

"There you are," Bobby called from his study as she walked through the door.

"I was only gone for an hour," Amy called back as she walked into the kitchen and put the food she had gotten at the store away.

"Well whenever you're done in there, I could use your help with something."

"Sure thing," Amy agreed. "Let me just go put these upstairs and then I'll be right down."

Bobby grunted in response and Amy quickly ran up the stairs, tossing the bags into her room before rushing back down.

"Alright," Amy said, entering Bobby's study, "What's up?"

"Need some help sorting through all this crap," Bobby said, gesturing to the piles of papers and books scattered across the floor.

Amy made a noise that sounded like a mixture of a sigh and a groan. "Fine."

Amy and Bobby spent the next few hours sorting everything their own way. While Bobby opted to simply put everything where it fit, Amy went with actually sorting everything and organizing.

* * *

The rest of the afternoon was spent helping Bobby in the junkyard. As the end of the day neared, Amy found herself growing more and more anxious as the hours passed by.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, there was a knock at the door.

"Who the hell could that be?" Bobby muttered as he walked to the front door, Amy following close behind.

Bobby opened the door and took a step back in shock. Standing on the porch was Dean, looking winded.

"Surprise," Dean said as Bobby stared at him.

Amy moved forward to hug the hunter. "Dean!" she exclaimed.

Bobby put a hand out, stopping the young girl in her tracks. "I, I don't..."

Dean took a step inside the house as Bobby backed up, keeping his hand in front of Amy to stop her from running forward. "Yeah, me neither," he said, taking a look around. "But here I am."

Bobby suddenly lunged forward, wielding a silver knife.

"Bobby stop!" Amy cried out, grabbing Bobby's arm to stop him from attacking Dean.

"Bobby! It's me!" Dean yelled.

"This is what I was so excited about earlier," Amy continued. "That thing I couldn't tell you about."

"My ass!" Bobby shouted, shoving Amy's arm away and lunging for Dean once more.

Dean shoved a chair between himself and Bobby. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait!" he said frantically, holding out a hand. "Your name is Robert Steven Singer. You became a hunter after your wife got possessed, and... you're about the closest thing I have to a father. Bobby. It's me."

Bobby's face fell as he lowered the knife, stepping forward. Amy sighed in relief as the old hunter placed a hand on Dean's shoulder, but the relief vanished quickly as Bobby slashed at Dean with the knife again.

Amy once again grabbed Bobby's arm, pulling it back. "Bobby, I'm telling you, it's really Dean!" she cried out. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier but I didn't want to ruin anything!"

Dean snatched the knife from Bobby. "If I wasn't me, could I do this – with a silver knife?" He rolled up his sleeve and grimaced as he sliced his arm with the knife, letting the blood run down his arm.

Bobby stared at the man. "Dean?" he asked in disbelief.

Amy sighed in relief again. "Yes, finally."

Dean nodded. "That's what I've been trying to tell you."

Bobby pulled Dean into a tight, long hug. "It's... It's good to see you, boy," he said when they pulled apart.

"Yeah, you too," Dean said

"But... how did you bust out?" Bobby asked.

' _Chuck_ ,' Amy thought, smiling to herself as she remembered the iconic line delivered by Castiel at the end of the episode. A line she knew she could never forget.

"I don't know," Dean admitted. "I just, uh, I just woke up in a pine box..."

The hunter's words were interrupted as Bobby splashed him in the face with holy water.

Amy chuckled as Dean paused before spitting the water out.

"I'm not a demon either, you know," Dean informed Bobby.

"Sorry." Bobby shrugged. "Can't be too careful." He turned to Amy. "You knew about this?"

Amy nodded. "Sorry I didn't tell you, but I didn't want to spoil the surprise."

"I'm honestly surprised you remembered," Dean added. "Hasn't it been almost two years since you watched the show?"

Amy nodded. "It has. But September 18th, 2008 is a pretty iconic date in the fandom for this exact reason. Some things you just can't forget."

"But who pulled me out?" Dean asked.

"Spoilers," Amy said in a sing-song voice.

"Let's go into the study," Bobby suggested as he tossed Dean a towel.

Amy and Dean followed Bobby into the study as Dean dried his face off.

"That don't make a lick of sense," Bobby said as they entered the room.

"Yeah. Yeah, you're preaching to the choir," Dean said as he tossed the towel to the side.

Bobby spun around. "Dean. Your chest was ribbons, your insides were slop. And you've been buried four months. Even if you could slip out of hell and back into your meat suit -"

"I know, I should look like a Thriller video reject," Dean finished.

"Can you at least give us a hint?" Bobby asked, turning to Amy.

"You'll find out later," Amy replied, smiling knowingly.

Bobby sighed, turning back to Dean. "What do you remember?"

"Not much," Dean said as he fiddled with some stuff on Bobby's desk. "I remember I was a Hellhound's chew toy, and then... lights out. Then I come to six feet under, that was it." Bobby sat down as Dean continued. "Sam's number's not working. He's, uh... he's not..."

"Oh, he's alive. As far as I know," Bobby informed the hunter.

Dean nodded. "Good." He paused as he processed Bobby's words. "Wait, what do you mean, as far as you know?"

Bobby shrugged. "I haven't talked to him for months."

"You're kidding, you just let him go off by himself?" Dean asked angrily.

"Well I sure as hell wasn't going to stop him," Amy muttered. Dean stared at her in confusion.

"And he was dead set on it," Bobby continued.

"Bobby, you should've been looking after him," Dean argued.

"I tried," Bobby shouted. "He attacked Amy after you died. Said it was her fault you had died. These last few months haven't been exactly easy, you know. For him, Amy, or me. We had to bury you."

"Why did you bury me, anyway?" Dean asked.

Bobby sighed. "I wanted you salted and burned. Usual drill. But... Sam wouldn't have it."

Dean scoffed. "Well, I'm glad he won that one."

"He said you'd need a body when he got you back home somehow." Bobby shook his head. "That's about all he said."

"What do you mean?" Dean asked suspiciously.

"He was quiet. Real quiet," Bobby recalled. "And then he just took off. Wouldn't return my calls. I tried to find him, but he didn't want to be found."

'Oh, damnit, Sammy," Dean groaned.

"What?" Bobby asked.

"Oh, he got me home okay," Dean said. "But whatever he did, it is bad mojo."

Amy held out a hand. "Okay, I'm gonna stop you right there. Sam had nothing to do with this."

"Well then what did?" Dean asked. "If not Sam, then who, Amy? Who?"

"It- I-" Amy struggled to find the right words. She knew Dean and Bobby would find out about Cas and the other angels later on, but she still didn't know if she should tell them so early on. "You-"

"You'll find out later," Dean interrupted. "Yeah, yeah, I know." He turned back to Bobby. "You should have seen the grave site. It was like a nuke went off. And then there was this," he gestured his hands around as he struggled to find the words, "this force, this presence, I don't know, but it, it blew past me at a fill-up joint. And then this." Dean took off his jacket and rolled up his sleeve to reveal a handprint branded on his arm, near the shoulder.

"What in the hell?" Bobby asked.

"It was like a demon just yanked me out. Or rode me out," Dean guessed.

' _Not a demon_ ,' Amy thought.

"But why?" Bobby asked.

Dean shrugged. "Beats me. I'd say to hold up the end of a deal Sam made, but Amy's insisting he had nothing to do with this, and I don't exactly have a reason not to believe her. Only question now is where is Sam?"

Dean crossed the room and picked up the phone, dialing a number. There was a brief pause before he spoke. "Yeah, hi, I have a cell phone account with you guys, and uh, I lost my phone. I was wondering if you could turn the GPS on for me." Another pause." Yeah. Name's Wedge Antilles. Social is two four seven four." Dean paused again. "Thank you." He hung up and crossed the room towards a laptop on the table.

"How'd you know he'd use that name?" Bobby questioned.

"You kiddin' me? What don't I know about that kid?" Dean countered. He opened a web browser on the laptop. He typed in the address to the phone company website and typed the information to track Sam's phone in. While he waited for the page to load, Dean picked up an empty beer bottle sitting on the desk. "Hey, Bobby? What's the deal with the liquor store? What, are your parents out of town or something?"

"You really have to ask?" Amy asked.

"Like I said. Last few months ain't been all that easy," Bobby said.

Dean held Bobby's gaze for a bit before setting the bottle down. "Right." The laptop beeped and Amy leaned over Dean's shoulder to read what was on the screen.

The laptop screen showed a blue arrow pointing to a star with a message underneath that read:

Phone Location:

263 Adams Road

Pontiac, Illinois.

"Sam's in Pontiac, Illinois," Dean read out loud.

"Right near where you were planted," Bobby recalled.

Dean nodded. "Right where I popped up. Hell of a coincidence, don't you think?"

"Okay, again," Amy repeated, "Sam had nothing to do with this. He wasn't the one that brought you back."

"Well then who did?"

"An angel named Castiel, okay?" Amy blurted out before she could stop herself.

"Angels?" Dean scoffed. "There's no such thing."

Amy shrugged. "Fine. Don't believe me. You'll find out anyway in a day or so."

"Angels?" Dean asked again. "Seriously?"

Amy nodded. ' _Yeah_ ,' she thought. ' _And you've already encountered one, you just don't know it yet. The trickster is really the archangel Gabriel. God is real too. He goes by Chuck and as we speak, he's writing books about you._ ' Amy's eyes met the floor. ' _At least, I assume he is._ '

"Aimes?" Dean asked, breaking her out of her thoughts. "You okay?"

"What?" Amy asked, coming back to reality. "Yeah, totally. I'm good."

Dean nodded slowly. "Okay. 'Cause it looked like you were contemplating something there."

Amy shrugged. "I was thinking, but it wasn't important. Just random nonsense."

Dean nodded again, seeming to somewhat accept her answer.

* * *

**September 19th, 2008 - Astoria Motel, Pontiac, IL**

The next day, Bobby drove them back to Pontiac Illinois. They arrived at the Astoria motel late at night and, after getting the room number from the front desk, made their way up to room 207.

The hunters made their way to a door with a heart on it. Dean gave Bobby a glance before knocking. A moment later, a woman wearing only a tank top and underwear opened the door, looking at them expectedly.

"So where is it?" The woman asked.

"Where's what?" Dean asked in confusion.

"The pizza..." the woman glanced around at the three people standing in the hall, "that takes two guys and a teenager to deliver?"

Dean chuckled nervously. "I think we got the wrong room."

As he turned to leave, another voice sounded from inside the room. Dean turned back to see Sam step around the corner.

"Hey is..." the younger Winchester stopped as he saw Dean, Bobby, and Amy standing there. He didn't say anything as he stared in shock at his brother.

"Heya, Sammy," Dean said quietly as he stepped into the room. He ignored the woman, who stepped aside to let him in. As Dean got closer, Sam pulled out a knife, lunging at Dean much like Bobby had earlier. Bobby and Amy immediately jumped forward to stop him.

"Who are you?!" Sam shouted as he struggled with the other hunters.

"It's him. It's him," Bobby yelled as he grabbed Sam's arm. "I've been through this already, it's really him."

Sam relaxed as he stared at Dean, dropping the knife. "What..."

Dean took a few steps towards his brother. "I know. I look fantastic, huh?"

Bobby and Amy let go of Sam, who stepped forward and pulled his brother into a hug. There was an awkward silence as Sam pushed his brother out to arms length to get a good look at him.

"So are you two like... together?" the woman asked, breaking the silence.

Sam looked at the woman, as if he was just remembering she was there. "What?" he asked. "No. No. He's my brother."

The woman nodded slowly. "Uh... got it. I... I guess." She pointed to the door. "Look, I should probably go."

"Yeah." Sam nodded. "Yeah, that's probably a good idea. Sorry."

* * *

A short while later, the woman, who now had on a pair of jeans and a blue plaid shirt, walked to the door as Sam opened it for her.

"So, call me," the woman said as she walked out the door.

"Yeah." Sam smiled. "Yeah, sure thing, Kathy."

The woman frowned, looking disappointed. "Kristy," she corrected.

"Right."

The woman left and Sam shut the door, joining everyone else on the couch. Dean crossed his arms as his brother entered the room, smiling.

"So tell me, what'd it cost?" Dean asked.

Sam smiled. "The girl? I don't pay, Dean."

"That's not funny, Sam. To bring me back. What'd it cost? Amy said you had nothing to do with it, but she has been known not to tell us everything from time to time."

"Hey!" Amy cried out, slightly offended.

"You think I made a deal?" Sam asked

"That's exactly what we think," Bobby confirmed.

Amy leaned back in slight defeat. She didn't know why she was even bothering anymore. They'd find out sooner or later anyway.

"Well, I didn't," Sam insisted, sitting in a chair.

"Don't lie to me," Dean said intensely.

"I'm not lying," Sam said, his voice rising. "And did Amy tell you she knew you would die no matter what? Or that she apparently knew you'd come back?"

"You can't honestly expect her to tell us every little detail, can you?" Dean asked. "So what now, I'm off the hook and you're on, is that it? You're some demon's bitch-boy?" He advanced towards his brother, his voice growing angrier with each word. "I didn't want to be saved like this."

Sam stood up. "Look, Dean, I wish I had done it, all right?"

"There's no other way that this could have gone down," Dean said, grabbing Sam's shirt. "Now tell the truth!"

"He is!" Amy shouted, stepping forward.

Sam broke Dean's grasp. "I tried everything," he said sternly. "That's the truth. I tried opening the Devil's Gate. Hell, I tried to bargain, Dean, but no demon would deal, all right?" Sam's voice began to shake. "You were rotting in Hell for months. For months, and I couldn't stop it. So I'm sorry it wasn't me, all right? Dean, I'm sorry."

"It's okay, Sammy," Dean relented. "You don't have to apologize, I believe you."

"Don't get me wrong, I'm gladdened that Sam's soul remains intact," Bobby spoke, "but it does raise a sticky question."

"If he didn't pull me out, then what did?" Dean asked. "Got any beer, Sammy?"

Sam left the room, returning a moment later with three beer bottles, which he passed out to Dean and Bobby, keeping the last one for himself.

"So what were you doing around here if you weren't digging me out of my grave?" Dean asked as he opened his drink.

Sam sat back down in the chair. "Well, once I figured out I couldn't save you, I started hunting down Lilith, trying to get some payback."

"All by yourself?" Bobby accused. "Who do you think you are, your old man?"

Dean frowned, crossing the room towards something that caught his eye.

"Uh, yeah, I'm sorry, Bobby," Sam said as Dean walked away. "I should have called. I was pretty messed up."

"Oh yeah," Dean said sarcastically as he held up a pink bra. "I really feel your pain."

Sam scoffed, shaking his head at his brother. "Anyways, uh, I was checking these demons out of Tennessee, and out of nowhere they took a hard left, booked up here."

"When?" Dean asked.

"Yesterday morning."

Dean looked over at Bobby. "When I busted out."

"You think these things are here 'cause of you?" Bobby asked.

"But why?"

' _Because God commanded it,_ ' Amy thought, ' _because we have work for you._ '

"-It's gotta be connected somehow," Dean said, drawing Amy back to reality.

"How you feelin', anyway?" Bobby asked.

"I'm a little hungry," Dean admitted.

Bobby shook his head. "No, I mean, do you feel like yourself?" he asked. "Anything strange, or different?"

"Or demonic?" Dean interrupted. Bobby shrugged. "Bobby, how many times do I have to prove I'm me?"

"Yeah. Well, listen," Bobby said. "No demon's letting you loose out of the goodness of their hearts. They've gotta have something nasty planned."

"Well, I feel fine," Dean insisted.

"Okay, look, we don't know what they're planning," Sam spoke. "We got a pile of questions and no shovel. We need help."

"I know a psychic," Bobby told them. "A few hours from here. Something this big, maybe she's heard the other side talking."

Amy smiled. "Oh yeah. Pamela right?"

Bobby nodded. "Yep."

"Hell yeah, it's worth a shot," Dean decided.

"I'll be right back," Bobby said before leaving the room.

Dean stood up as well, turning to walk away.

"Hey, wait," Sam said, stopping his brother. "You probably want this back." He reached inside his collar and pulled out a cord, revealing Dean's amulet around his neck. He handed it to Dean.

"Thanks," Dean said as he took the amulet.

"Yeah, don't mention it." Sam paused as Dean put the amulet on. "Hey Dean, what was it like?"

"What, Hell?" Dean asked. Sam nodded. "I don't know, I, I must have blacked it out. I don't remember a damn thing."

Sam nodded again. "Well, thank God for that."

"Yeah." Dean turned and walked towards the bathroom.

Amy sat awkwardly on the couch as she was left alone with Sam. The younger Winchester looked at her, and she turned her head away, avoiding his gaze.

"You knew," Sam said quietly.

Amy didn't say anything.

"You knew Dean would come back," Sam continued, "and you just let me think he was gone forever!"

Amy suddenly found herself once again pinned up against the wall by an angry Sam.

"Well you didn't exactly give me a chance to let me tell you!" Amy shouted angrily. "You attacked me just like this on the first night and, after I spent the rest of the night avoiding you, you left. And it's not like you were answering your phone for four months!"

"You still should have told me!" Sam shouted.

"How?!"

"Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey!" Dean shouted as he ran over, pulling Sam off of Amy, who fell to the floor. "Leave her alone."

"She knew you'd come back, Dean!"

"There was nothing she could have done!" Dean shouted, pushing his brother away. "There was nothing anyone could have done. We're not gonna get anything done if you two are fighting."

"Four months-" Sam whispered harshly.

"I'm sorry, Sam," Amy whispered.

* * *

Bobby led them out of the room and back down to the parking lot. "She's about four hours down the Interstate," he told them as they walked towards the cars. "Try to keep up." He got in his car and drove off.

Sam, Dean, and Amy walked to the Impala.

"I assume you'll want to drive," Sam said, as he reached in his pocket and tossed the keys towards Dean.

Dean chuckled as he caught the keys. "Oh, I almost forgot!" He ran a hand along the top of the car. "Hey, sweetheart, did you miss me?"

"Do you two need some time alone?" Amy joked.

Dean gave her a look before sliding into the driver's seat. Amy climbed into the backseat as Sam got into the passenger side.

"What the hell is that?" Dean asked Sam, pointing to an iPod jack mounted on the dash.

"That's an iPod jack," Sam answered.

"You were supposed to take care of her, not douche her up," Dean snapped.

"Dean, I thought it was my car," Sam defended.

Dean sneered and turned the key in the ignition. A song by Jason Manns began to play through the speakers and Dean glared at his brother. "Really?"

Sam shrugged innocently and Dean ripped the iPod out of the jack, tossing it into the backseat.

"Hey watch it!" Amy yelled as she dodged the flying device.

Amy leaned against the window as Dean pulled the car onto the main road and started following Bobby towards Pamela's house. She fidgeted anxiously in her seat as they sped down the empty road.

"What's got you so excited back there?" Dean asked, glancing at her through the rear-view mirror.

'Nothing," Amy said, shaking her head. ' _Just that we're gonna meet Castiel in a couple of days and I'm super exited._ '

"You sure?" Dean asked. "'Cause you're jumping up and down like a little kid waiting for Santa to show up."

"Okay," Amy admitted, "I am excited about something. But I can't tell you. It's a surprise."

Dean shook her head. "If you say so."

* * *

Dean drove the Impala down the dark road. "There's still one thing that's bothering me," he said after a while.

"Yeah?" Sam asked, turning away from the window.

"Yeah, the night that I bit it. Or... got bit." Dean chuckled at his own wit before continuing. "How'd you two make it out? I thought Lilith was going to kill you."

Sam shrugged. "Well, she tried," he said. "She couldn't."

Dean looked at his brother in confusion. "What do you mean, she couldn't?"

Amy leaned forward. "There was this bright light," she recalled. "I remember I couldn't see anything for a few moments and once it faded, Lilith left."

"It was like she was trying to kill me with it," Sam continued. "But it didn't leave a scratch. Like I was immune or something."

"Immune?" Dean repeated.

Sam nodded. "Yeah. I don't know who was more surprised, her or me. She left pretty fast after that."

"Huh," Dean said, slightly unsure. "What about Ruby, where is she?" he asked.

"Dead," Sam replied grimly. "For now."

Dean paused for a moment before finally asking. "So you've been using your, uh, freaky ESP stuff?"

"No," Sam said sternly.

"You sure about that?" Dean questioned. "Well, I mean, now that you've got... immunity, whatever the hell that is... just wondering what other kind of weirdo crap you've got going on."

"Nothing, Dean," Sam said again, louder. "Look, you didn't want me to go down that road, so I didn't go down that road," he insisted. "It was practically your dying wish."

Dean nodded. "Yeah, well, let's keep it that way."

* * *

They reached Pamela's house early the next morning. Bobby led them up the porch steps and knocked on the door. A moment later, a woman opened the door.

"Bobby!" Pamela greeted, pulling Bobby into a hug that lifted him off the ground.

"You're a sight for sore eyes," Bobby said with a grin.

Pamela stepped back, eyeing the other hunters. "So, these them?"

"Sam, Dean, Amy. This is Pamela Barnes," Bobby introduced, "best damn psychic in the state.'

"Hey," Dean flirted.

"Hi," Sam greeted awkwardly.

Amy waved. "Hello."

"Mmm-mmm-mmm," Pamela said, looking Dean over. "Dean Winchester. Out of the fire and back in the frying pan, huh? Makes you a rare individual."

Dean shrugged. "If you say so."

"Come on in." Pamela stood back, allowing them to enter the house. She shut the door behind them.

"So, you hear anything?" Bobby asked.

"Well, I Ouija'd my way through a dozen spirits," Pamela replied as she led them further into the house. "No one seems to know who broke your boy out, or why."

"So what's next?" Bobby asked.

"A séance, I think. See if we can see who did the deed."

"You're not gonna... summon the damn thing here," Bobby asked, a little nervously.

"No. I just want to get a sneak peek at it." Pamela leaned against Bobby playfully. "Like a crystal ball without the crystal."

"I'm game," Dean said with a shrug.

Amy nodded. "Me too."

* * *

Pamela began setting up the table. She laid a black tablecloth covered in symbols on it before kneeling in front of a cabinet.

"Who's Jesse?" Dean asked. Amy looked over to see a tattoo that read "Jesse Forever" on Pamela's lower back.

Pamela laughed as she stood back up. "Well, it wasn't forever."

"His loss."

Pamela walked up to Dean, holding several candles in her hands. She smirked. "Might be your gain."

Dean watched Pamela walk away. "Dude, I am so in," he whispered to his brother.

Sam scoffed. "Yeah, she's gonna eat you alive."

"Hey, I just got out of jail," Dean taunted. "Bring it."

Pamela walked by again, winking at Sam. "You're invited too, grumpy."

Dean jabbed a finger at his brother. "You are NOT invited."

* * *

Once everything was set up, everyone sat around the table.

"Right. Take each other's hands," Pamela instructed. Amy took Sam and Dean's hands. "And I need to touch something our mystery monster touched." Pamela reached under the table and a moment later, Dean jumped in his seat.

Dean laughed nervously. "Whoa. Well, he didn't touch me there."

"My mistake," Pamela said slyly.

Dean looked around nervously, before rolling up his sleeve, revealing the handprint brand. Pamela placed her hand on it.

"Okay," Pamela said as she closed her eyes. Everyone else followed suit and Pamela began to chant. "I invoke, conjure, and command you, appear unto me before this circle. I invoke, conjure, and command you, appear unto me before this circle. I invoke, conjure, and command you, appear unto me before this circle. I invoke, conjure, and command." Pamela paused. "Castiel? No. Sorry, Castiel, I don't scare easy."

"Castiel?" Dean asked.

"Its name," Pamela answered. "It's whispering to me, warning me to turn back."

Amy opened her eyes as the table began to shake. Around her, Sam, Dean, and Bobby opened their eyes as well.

Pamela continued chanting. "I conjure and command you, show me your face. I conjure and command you, show me your face. I conjure and command you, show me your face. I conjure and command you, show me your face."

"Maybe we should stop," Bobby suggested as the rattling became more violent.

"I agree with Bobby," Amy said. "I really think you should stop."

"I almost got it," Pamela insisted. "I command you, show me your face! Show me your face now!"

The flames on the candles flared up several feet and Pamela screamed. She opened her eyes to reveal that they were filled with a white-hot flame.

"Shit!" Amy exclaimed as she let go of the Winchester's hands and ran to grab her phone to call an ambulance.

"Call 9-1-1!" Bobby shouted.

"Already am!" Amy yelled as she put the phone to her ear.

"9-1-1, what's your emergency?"

Amy quickly relayed the situation to the operator who told her an ambulance was on the way. As she listened to the operator tell her to stay on the line, Amy looked back in the other room. Pamela was on the ground, sobbing. A closer look revealed empty sockets where her eyes should have been.

"I can't see! I can't see!" Pamela sobbed. "Oh god!'

Not long after, Amy heard the sirens from an approaching ambulance. She hung up, and joined the others in the next room.

* * *

After Pamela was loaded into the ambulance and Bobby took off in his own car, following her to the hospital, Sam, Dean, and Amy got back into the Impala.

Dean drove them to a local diner. Amy followed Dean inside while Sam stayed behind to talk to Bobby on the phone.

"What can I get started for you guys today?" a waitress asked once they had settled into a booth.

"Three pies please," Dean ordered.

The waitress smiled. "Be up in a jiff."

The waitress left as Sam entered the diner.

"You bet," Sam said into his phone before hanging up. He sat down next to Amy.

"What'd Bobby say?" Dean asked.

"Pam's stable. And out of I.C.U.," Sam explained.

"And blind," Amy recalled.

"Yeah, because of us," Dean finished.

"And we still have no clue who we're dealing with." Sam sighed.

"That's not entirely true," Dean corrected.

"No?"

"We got a name," Dean reminded his brother. "Castiel, or whatever. With the right mumbo-jumbo we could summon him, bring him right to us."

Sam scoffed. "You're crazy. Absolutely not."

"It's actually not a bad idea," Amy said.

Sam looked at her. "What? Pam took a peek at him and her eyes burned out of her skull, and you two want to have a face to face?"

"Pamela's eye's only burnt out because she saw Cas's true form or whatever. As long as he has a vessel, we'll be fine."

"But that's only if he has one," Sam pointed out.

"You got a better idea?" Dean asked.

Sam nodded. "Yeah, as a matter of fact I do. I followed some demons to town, right?"

"Okay," Dean said, nodding as well.

"So, we go find them," Sam suggested. "Someone's gotta know something about something."

The waitress from earlier reappeared with three plates, each with a slice of pie on them.

"Thanks," Sam said as she set the plates on the table.

Instead of leaving, the waitress set a chair at the end of the table, sitting down in it.

Dean smirked. "You angling for a tip?"

"I'm sorry," the waitress sneered. "I thought you were looking for us." Her eyes went black for a moment before returning to normal. Around them, a uniformed man and cook's eyes turned black as well. The uniformed man went to the door, standing in front of it.

"A diner run by demons." Amy scoffed. "Lovely."

Dean," the demon waitress snarled. "To hell and back. Aren't you a lucky duck." She spat out the last few words.

"That's me," Dean said in an unnervingly cool voice.

"So you get to just stroll out of the pit, huh?" the waitress asked. "Tell me. What makes you so special?"

"I like to think it's because of my perky nipples," Dean joked dryly. His smile faded. "I don't know," he admitted. "Wasn't my doing, I don't know who pulled me out."

The waitress didn't seem to buy it. "Right. You don't."

"No. I don't," Dean said sternly.

"Lying's a sin, you know."

"I'm not lying," Dean insisted. "But I'd like to find out, so if you wouldn't mind enlightening me," Dean read the nametag, "Flo..."

"Mind your tone with me, boy," the demon warned. "I'll drag you back to hell myself."

Sam shifted in his seat, but Amy stopped him. "Don't," she warned. "She isn't a threat."

"She's right," Dean told his brother. He turned back to the demon. "No, you won't."

"No?" the demon asked, arching an eyebrow.

"No," Dean repeated. "Because if you were you would have done it already. Fact is, you don't know who cut me loose. And you're just as spooked as we are. And you're looking for answers. Well, maybe it was some turbo-charged spirit. Or, uh, Godzilla." Dean shrugged. "Or some big bad boss demon. I'm guessing at your pay grade that they don't tell you squat. So go ahead. Send me back. But don't come crawling to me when they show up on your front doorstep with some Vaseline and a fire hose."

"I'm going to reach down your throat and rip out your lungs," the demon threatened. Dean leaned forward, daring her. He threw a right hook at her face, but the demon just sat there glaring.

"That's what I thought." Dean stood up. "Sammy, Amy, let's go." He pulled a ten dollar bill out of his pocket, dropping it on the table. "For the pie." Then he left.

The hunters quickly made their way to the car.

"Holy crap, that was close," Dean said once they reached the safety of the Impala.

"That was awesome." Amy beamed.

"We're not just going to leave them in there, are we, Dean?" Sam asked.

"Well yeah," Dean decided, "there's three of them, probably more, and we've only got one knife between us."

"I've been killing a lot more demons than that lately," Sam insisted.

"Not anymore – the smarter brother's back in town," Dean said as he pulled the Impala out of the parking lot.

"Dean, we've got to take 'em," Sam argued. "They are dangerous."

"They're scared," Dean corrected. "Okay? Scared of whatever had the juice to yank me out. We're dealing with a bad mofo here. One job at a time."

* * *

They arrived back at Sam's motel late that night. Within an hour, they had fallen asleep,Amy curled up in a chair and Dean on the floor.

A sharp whining noise brought Amy out of her slumber. She opened her eyes as Dean woke up, and looked around to see the television flickering with static. The radio turned on as Dean grabbed his shotgun.

A painfully high-pitched noise began to sound around them. Amy quickly looked over to find Sam's bed empty as she covered her ears along with Dean. A moment later, a mirror on the ceiling above Dean shattered and glass began pouring on top of him. Dean fell to the floor, still covering his ears, and Amy quickly ran up to him.

"Will you get a damn vessel already, Cas?" Amy shouted at the ceiling. "He can't understand anything you're saying!"

More glass began shattering around them as Bobby burst into the room.

"Dean!" Bobby yelled as he ran through the broken glass.

Amy helped Bobby get Dean out to the car, the noise fading away. She helped Bobby get Dean into the passenger seat before climbing into the back. Bobby tossed them each a towel.

"How you doin', kid?" Bobby asked as Dean wiped the blood off his face.

"Aside from the church bells ringing in my head, peachy," Dean replied dryly.

Bobby glanced at Amy. "How 'bout you, kid?"

Amy pulled a piece of glass from her hair. "I'm okay."

Dean pulled out his phone and dialed a number before holding the phone to his ear. "What are you doing?" he asked after a while. There was a pause. "In my car?" he asked angrily. "Well, uh, Bobby's back. We're going to grab a beer." Bobby gave him a look and Dean held up a finger. "Done. Catch you later." Dean hung up.

"Why the hell didn't you tell him?" Bobby asked.

"Because he just tried to stop us," Dean replied grimly.

"From what?"

"Summoning Castiel," Amy answered.

"Exactly," Dean confirmed. Bobby looked at him in shock. "It's time we faced it head-on."

"You can't be serious!" Bobby exclaimed.

Dean's face was dead serious. "As a heart attack. It's high noon, baby."

"Well, we don't know what it is," Bobby argued. "It could be a demon, it could be anything."

"I already told you," Amy said, "it's not a demon."

"Well, we've got to be ready for anything." Dean pulled out Ruby's knife. "We've got the big-time magic knife, you've got an arsenal in the trunk..."

"This is a bad idea," Bobby muttered.

"Yeah, I couldn't agree more, but what other choice do we have?" Dean asked darkly.

"We could choose life," Bobby suggested.

Dean shifted in his seat. "Bobby, whatever this is, whatever it wants, it's after me. That much we know, right? I've got no place to hide. I can either get caught with my pants down again, or we can make our stand."

"Dean, we could use Sam on this," Bobby insisted.

"Nah, he's better off where he is," Dean promised.

* * *

**September 20th, 2008 - Abandoned warehouse**

Sometime after midnight, Bobby pulled off the highway onto a dirt road that led to an abandoned warehouse. They got out and Amy was handed a duffle bag, which she carried into the empty building. She set the bag down on the floor next to Dean's.

"Amy, why don't you start with a Devil's trap," Dean decided, pointing to the center of the room. "Over there."

Amy opened the bag and grabbed a spray can of paint. Even though she knew it was unnecessary, she walked over and began spraying the paint on the ground.

* * *

Within an hour or two, they were finished. Signs and sigils lined the walls and Dean had laid out several weapons on a table.

"That's a hell of an art project you've got going there," Dean commented to Bobby.

"Traps and talismans from every faith on the globe," Bobby answered. "How you doin?"

Dean pointed to each weapon. "Stakes, iron, silver, salt, knife," he listed each item off. "I mean, we're pretty much set to catch and kill anything I've ever heard of."

"This is still a bad idea," Bobby repeated.

"Yeah, Bobby, I heard you the first ten times," Dean snapped. "What do you say we ring the dinner bell?"

Bobby nodded reluctantly and made his way to a different table, where a bowl sat on the surface. He sprinkled some contents into it and chanted something in Latin as the bowl began to smoke. After a moment, the smoke died down and nothing happened.

"Well, that was disappointing," Amy announced.

"Maybe we should just wait?" Dean suggested.

Amy sighed before sitting on top of a barrel. A moment later, Dean and Bobby followed her example.

* * *

Several minutes passed and nothing happened.

"You sure you did the ritual right?" Dean asked, breaking the silence. Bobby glared at him. "Sorry. Touchy, touchy, huh?"

As if on cue, the roof began to rattle. Bobby and Dean stood up, arming themselves with shotguns, but Amy stayed put, not moving from her seat.

"Wishful thinking," Dean said hopefully, "but maybe it's just the wind."

The doors burst open and a man in a business suit and trenchcoat, with messy black hair walked in. Amy winces as the lightbulbs shattered above Castiel's head, sparks flying as he walked further into the room. Her breath caught in her throat as Bobby and Dean opened fire, shooting round after round into the angel's chest.

Dean grabbed the demon knife from behind him. "Who are you?" he snarled.

"I'm the one who gripped you tight and raised you from perdition," Cas replied. Amy found herself smiling at the iconic line.

"Yeah. Thanks for that," Dean replied sarcastically before plunging the knife into Castiel's chest.

Cas looked at the knife and pulled it out, unconcerned. Bobby swung an iron rod at the angel from behind, but Cas merely blocked it without looking and tore the weapon out of the hunter's hand. He touched Bobby on the forehead, and the old hunter crumbled to the ground.

Castiel turned back to Dean. "We need to talk, Dean," he turned to Amy, "alone."

The angel began approaching the young girl.

"Wait, wait, wait," Amy said frantically as Cas got closer. "Hold up, angel boy."

Instead of answering, Cas put two fingers on her forehead as well, and she too fell to the ground.

* * *

Amy was woken up by Dean a short while later. "What happened?" she asked.

"Castiel happened," Dean replied. "Sorry I didn't believe you."

Amy sat up. "It's okay. But it wouldn't kill you to listen to me more in the future." She rubbed her head. "So what'd angel boy say?"

"Just that he had work for me," Dean explained as he helped her to her feet. "Bobby's already outside packing up the car."

Dean led Amy out to Bobby's car.

"'Bout time you guys showed up," Bobby called out as they approached.

"Had to wake Sleeping Beauty up here," Dean joked, pointing at Amy, who responded by hitting Dean in the shoulder.

"Well hurry up," Bobby said. "Sam's already on his way back to my place. We're gonna meet him there."

"Sounds good." Amy climbed into the back, lying down to get across the seat to get some much-needed sleep as Bobby pulled onto the main road.


	13. Are You There, God? It’s Me, Dean Winchester

**September 22nd, 2008 - Bobby's house**

Two days after meeting Cas, Amy woke up in her room at Bobby's house and made her way downstairs to find the others in Bobby's study, surrounded by books.

"Well, then tell me what else it could be," Sam was yelling.

"Look, all I know is I was not groped by an angel," Dean insisted.

"Hate to break it to you, Dean," Amy said, announcing her presence, "but you were. Besides, if I recall correctly, he showed you saw his wings."

"I saw a freakin' shadow on the wall," Dean snapped. "Besides, how do we know he's not some kind of demon? Demons lie."

" _I_ know he's not a demon," Amy insisted.

"Besides, you said yourself he's immune to salt rounds and devil's traps and Ruby's knife," Sam continued. "Dean, Lilith is scared of that thing!"

"Don't you think that if angels were real, that some hunter somewhere would have seen one?" Dean asked. "At some point... ever?"

' _I've seen one,_ ' Amy thought, thinking of Gabriel. ' _Technically you have too_ , _before Cas_.'

"Yeah. You just did, Dean," Sam said obviously.

"I'm trying to come up with a theory here. Okay?" Dean snapped. "Work with me."

"Last I checked, we did have a theory," Amy said.

"Yeah, one with a little less fairy dust on it, please."

"Okay, look. I'm not saying we know for sure. I'm just saying that I think we -"

Dean cut his brother off. "Okay, okay. That's the point," he said. "We don't know for sure, so I'm not gonna believe that this thing is a freaking Angel of the Lord because it says so!"

"So you can believe that demons exist, but not angels?" Amy questioned.

"You three chuckleheads want to keep arguing religion, or do you want to come take a look at this?" Bobby cut in from his desk.

The Winchesters and Amy made their way over. Bobby had piles of books stacked around his desk.

"I got stacks of lore - Biblical, pre-Biblical," Bobby listed off. "Some of it's in damn cuneiform. It all says an angel can snatch a soul from the pit."

"What else?" Dean asked quickly.

"What else, what?"

"What else could do it?" Dean repeated.

"Airlift your ass out of the hot box?" Bobby shook his head. "As far as I can tell, nothing."

"Told you," Amy whispered. Dean glared at her.

"Dean, this is good news," Sam insisted.

"How?"

"Because for once, this isn't just another round of demon crap," Sam replied. "I mean, maybe you were saved by one of the good guys, you know?"

"Okay. Say it's true," Dean said, starting to buy it slightly. "Say there are angels. Then what? There's a God?"

' _Uh, yeah, actually_ ,' Amy thought, ' _He goes by Chuck though. He also writes books about you and he's pretending to be human. You'll meet him in a few episodes_.'

Bobby nodded. "At this point, Vegas money's on yeah," he spoke.

Dean sighed. "I don't know, guys."

"Okay, look. I know you're not all choirboy about this stuff, but this is becoming less and less about faith and more and more about proof," Sam insisted.

"Proof?" Dean asked.

Sam nodded. "Yes."

"Proof that there's a God out there that actually gives a crap about me personally?" Dean shook his head. "I'm sorry, but I'm not buying it."

Sam's face fell. "Why not?"

"Because why me?" Dean asked. "If there is a God out there, why would he give a crap about me?"

"Dean, come on," Amy muttered.

"I mean, I've saved some people, okay?" Dean's voice began to shake. "I figured that made up for the stealing and the ditching chicks. But why do I deserve to get saved? I'm just a regular guy."

Sam shrugged. "Apparently, you're a regular guy that's important to the man upstairs."

"Well, that creeps me out. I mean, I don't like getting singled out at birthday parties, much less by," Dean struggled to find the words, "God."

"Okay, well, too bad, Dean, because I think he wants you to strap on your party hat," Sam insisted.

"Fine," Dean finally said, throwing his arms up in defeat. "What do we know about angels?"

In response, Bobby picked up a stack of books, dropping them on the desk in front of him. "Start reading."

Dean stared at the books, then jabbed a finger at his brother. "You're gonna get me some pie." He angrily grabbed a book from the top of the pile, walking off to read it.

Sam groaned before grabbing the keys to the Impala and walking out the front door.

Amy sighed, before following suit, sitting on the nearby couch as she opened to the first page of the book she had grabbed.

* * *

Amy rubbed her eyes as the words began to swarm around on the page. Her legs were sore from being curled up on the couch long enough to read several books. Bobby was pacing in the kitchen, holding a phone to his ear. After a moment, he hung up, swearing under his breath.

"What's up?" Amy asked.

"You remember Olivia, right?" Bobby asked. Amy nodded. "I can't get a hold of her. Figured she could help with this whole angel thing, but I haven't been able to reach her."

"How far out is she?" Dean asked. "We could go check on her if we've got time."

"Only a few hours," Amy replied.

"We should head out once Sam gets back," Bobby said.

* * *

Twenty minutes later, Amy heard the faint sound of the Impala driving towards the house. "Sounds like Sam's back," she told the other hunters.

"You can hear that?" Dean asked, straining to hear the car.

Amy shrugged. "It's faint, but yeah."

Bobby led Dean and Amy out of the house, where Sam was pulling up in the car. Dean gave Amy a look.

"Keep the engine running," Bobby instructed.

"Why? What's going on?" Sam asked in confusion.

"I got a friend one state over - Olivia Lowry," Bobby explained. "I've been trying to reach her for three days on this angel thing. It's not like her to ignore this many calls."

"Olivia Lowry." Sam nodded. "A hunter, right?"

"Yeah. We're gonna go check on her. You guys follow me." Bobby headed to his own car as Dean pushed Sam over to the passenger side and Amy got into the back.

Dean grabbed the bag of food from Sam, looking inside. After a beat, he looked up, glaring at his brother. "Dude?"

Sam turned to Dean. "Yeah?"

"Where's the pie?" Dean asked firmly.

Sam shrugged innocently and Dean tossed the bag into the back with Amy, glaring at his brother again before starting the engine.

* * *

A few hours later, Dean pulled the Impala into the driveway of a house. They grabbed a couple guns and followed Bobby inside.

"Olivia?" Bobby called out as they entered the house.

Walking into another room, they found Olivia lying on the floor, dead and covered in blood.

Amy sighed, letting her pistol fall to her side. "Great."

Without a word, Bobby walked into another room.

"Bobby?" Dean asked as he watched the older hunter walk away.

Sam pointed to something in the doorway. "Salt line."

Sam, Dean, and Amy began to look around the room.

"Olivia was rocking the EMF meter," Dean said as he picked the device up.

Sam nodded. "Spirit activity."

"Yeah - on steroids," Dean agreed. "I never seen a ghost do this to a person."

Bobby reentered the room, his phone in his hand.

"Bobby, you all right?" Dean asked, straightening back up.

"I called some hunters nearby," Bobby began.

"Good. We can use their help," Dean interrupted.

"...except they ain't answering their phones either," Bobby finished.

"Something's up, huh?" Sam asked.

"Sounds like it," Amy answered.

"You think?" Bobby asked. Without another word, he turned and walked out of the room.

Sam and Dean exchanged a look before following Bobby out, Amy following close behind.

"You three to check on Jed. He's in Jackson." Bobby scribbled something on a piece of paper. "Here's his address and phone number. I'm gonna go check on a couple other hunters in the opposite direction."

Dean nodded. "Sure thing, Bobby."

Bobby got in his car and drove off. After a beat, the Winchesters and Amy got back into the Impala.

Dean drove for hours towards the address given to him by Bobby, as he tried over and over to get a hold of the hunter. He dialed the number again, giving Sam a look when nobody picked up.

"Jed, Dean Winchester again - friend of Bobby Singer's," Dean said into his phone. "Look, we think something's happening. We think it's happening to hunters. Just want to make sure you're okay. Call me back." He hung up. "What the hell is going on around here?"

"I wish I knew," Amy admitted.

* * *

**Jackson, Mississippi**

A short while later, they arrived at a white country house. Dean passed out the guns again and the hunters made their way inside.

Much like Olivia, they found Jed on the ground, dead, with his chest ripped out. Broken glass lay on the ground as well as salt, which had clearly been thrown.

"I'm gonna ask again," Dean spoke, "What the hell is going on around here?"

Amy shrugged, but stayed silent. She turned to look back at Jed. His shotgun was lying next to his body.

"You're little miss 'TV show'," Amy heard Dean say. "You really don't have any idea?"

Amy sighed. "Dean, I already told you, no I don't have any idea what's going on. Besides, it's been two years since I watched any of the show at this point." She turned back around. "I can remember some major events still, but do you honestly expect me to remember something like this?"

Dean looked at Amy in confusion. "I didn't say anything," he said after a beat.

Amy cocked an eyebrow. "Didn't you just say 'you're little miss TV show?'" she asked. "And then ask if I really didn't have any idea what was going on?"

Dean shook his head, but shared a glance with Sam. "You must be hearing things."

"But I could have sworn-"

Sam stopped her. "Okay, uh, we should probably call Bobby. Let him know what happened."

Dean nodded. "Yeah, okay." He led them out of the house, dialing Bobby's number as they walked back to the car.

"We're in Jackson," Dean told Bobby through the phone. "It's not pretty. He looks even worse than Olivia. What about you?" There was a pause. "What the hell is going on here, Bobby? Why did a bunch of ghosts suddenly want to gank off-duty hunters?" Another pause. "We're on our way." Dean hung up the phone.

"Bobby wants us to head back to his place," he told Sam and Amy. "We'll figure out what's going on there."

Amy nodded. "Okay."

Dean took the keys out of his pocket, tossing them to Sam, who caught them. "Here," he said. "I wanna get some sleep."

Sam drove the Impala through the night as Dean slept in the passenger seat. He stopped at a gas station, placing the pump into the gas tank before leaning back into the car.

"Wait here with Dean, okay?" he asked Amy. "I'll be right back."

Amy nodded. "Sure thing." She watched Sam walk into the nearby restroom, before turning to stare at the road out the window.

The car was silent until Dean reawoke. "Where's Sam?" he asked.

"Bathroom," Amy answered, pointing in the direction Sam had gone in.

Dean groaned, looking at the time. "I'm gonna go check on him." He opened the door, stepping out into the night. "Be right back."

Amy leaned back in her seat as she watched Dean walk away. The pump stopped and she opened her door to put it back.

While Amy was putting the pump back and closing the gas tank to the car, Sam and Dean stumbled out of the bathroom. Dean was pulling a bleeding, barely conscious Sam next to him.

"Holy shit, what happened?" Amy asked.

"Henriksen," Dean replied as he helped Sam into the passenger side.

"Henriksen?" Amy asked. "Isn't he-"

Dean nodded. "Yeah. Get in, we gotta get going."

Amy finished closing up the gas tank before climbing back into the backseat.

Dean dialed Bobby's number as he sped down the road. "Damn it, Bobby! Pick up!" he yelled angrily when there was no response. He redialled the number, turning to Sam as he put the phone back to his ear. "How you feeling, huh?" he asked. "How many fingers am I holding up?"

"None," Sam replied. "I'll be fine, Dean."

"Henriksen?" Dean asked.

Sam nodded. "Yep."

"What was he doing all the way out here?" Amy asked.

"He wanted revenge," Sam replied, "'cause we got him killed."

Dean sighed. "Sam."

"Well, we did, Dean," Sam snapped, groaning in pain.

"All right. Stop right there," Dean instructed. "Whatever the hell is going on, it's happening to us now, okay?" He tossed his phone to the side. "I can't get ahold of Bobby, so if you're not thinking answers, don't think at all."

* * *

**September 23rd, 2008 - Bobby's house**

Dean pulled the Impala up to Bobby's house early the next morning. The hunters ran into the house, guns ready.

"Bobby?" Dean yelled as they ran through the house. They ran into the study to find an iron poker on the ground.

Dean pointed up the stairs. "I'll go. You two check outside."

"Come on," Sam said as he led Amy outside.

Sam and Amy made their way out to the junkyard and began making their way through the piles of dead, rusting cars.

"Bobby?" Amy called out.

"Bobby?" Sam repeated.

Sam and Amy kept making their way their way through the junkyard, until Sam stopped Amy in her tracks and pointed at a reflection in a mirror. Amy looked, spotting movement in a car at the top of a large pile.

"You go," Amy instructed. "I'll keep watch down here."

Sam nodded and began scaling the mountain of cars towards Bobby. "Bobby! Hold on, Bobby!" he shouted as he climbed. "I'm coming! Bobby!"

Amy watched as Sam used a crowbar to open the backdoors to the truck. A moment later, he was thrown backwards.

"Sam!" Without thinking, Amy reached her hands up. Sam slowed down, landing gently on the car below him.

"Huh," Amy said to herself, looking at her hands, "cool." She quickly got back into focus as she rushed towards Sam, who was using a crowbar to fight off a ghost girl. She reached Sam just as he swung the iron bar through the ghost, causing her to disappear. A creak from above her brought her attention to the car Sam had climbed up towards, to see Bobby on his knees by the door, panting as he looked down at Sam.

"How'd you do that earlier?" Sam asked while they waited for Bobby to climb down from the top of the pile of cars.

Amy shrugged. "I didn't even know I could do that. I saw you get thrown from the top of that pile, and I panicked. Did the first thing I could think of."

"And earlier, when you heard Dean say something even though he hadn't. Do you think you're powers are expanding?"

"I don't know what hearing things has to do with that." Amy rubbed the back of her neck. "But maybe."

"What if you did hear Dean say something," Sam suggested. "But what if he didn't say it out loud."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I mean, your powers involve your mind right?" Sam asked. "You think about something moving and it does."

Amy nodded. "Yeah."

"Well, I'm pretty sure telekinesis isn't the only power that begins with 'tele'."

Amy looked up at Sam in confusion. "What, like telepathy?" she asked. "You think I read Dean's mind?"

"We don't know for sure," Sam replied. "But it is a possibility. Especially if your powers are growing stronger."

"You girls done gossiping over there?" Bobby asked as he walked over to them. "'Cause we gotta figure out what the hell's going on."

"Uh, yeah, coming, Bobby," Sam said before he and Amy followed the old hunter into the house.

"Bobby what the hell is going on around here?" Dean asked as they entered the house. "I just fought Meg's ghost upstairs.

"Wait, first Henriksen, then Meg," Sam listed off. "Bobby I'm assuming you knew those girls. They're all people we know?"

"Not just know," Dean corrected. "People we couldn't save." He got a pondering look on his face. "Hey, I saw something on Meg. Did she have a tattoo when she was alive?"

Sam furrowed his brows. "I don't think so."

"It was like a-a mark on her hand," Dean recalled. "Almost like a brand."

"I saw a mark, too," Sam remembered, "on Henriksen."

"What did it look like?" Bobby asked.

"Uh, paper?" Sam asked. Dean handed him a piece of paper and pencil. "Thanks."

Amy watched Sam quickly scribbled a symbol on the paper, before showing it to Dean.

"That's it," Dean confirmed. Sam showed the paper to Bobby.

"I may have seen this before," Bobby said worriedly. "We got to move."

"What is it?" Amy asked.

"Follow me," Bobby instructed.

"Okay," Sam said, unsure, "Where are we going?"

"Someplace safe, you idiot," Bobby snapped. He picked up a pile of books before leading Sam, Dean, and Amy into the basement. He led them into a room with walls lined in iron. Looking around, Amy saw pentagrams and Devil's traps lining the walls as well.

Sam gasped in amazement. "Bobby, is this..."

"Solid iron," Bobby replied. "Completely coated in salt. One-hundred-percent ghost-proof."

"You built a panic room?" Sam asked.

Bobby shrugged. "I had a weekend off."

"Cool," Amy said in amazement.

"Bobby," Dean said, looking around the room.

"What?"

Dean turned to face Bobby, a grin on his face. "You're awesome."

Bobby dropped the books on a nearby table. "You three start making salt rounds. I'm gonna figure out where I've seen that symbol."

* * *

They sat in silence for what felt like an eternity, though it was probably only a few minutes.

"See, this is why I can't get behind God," Dean said, breaking the long silence.

"What are you talking about?" Sam asked.

Dean put the salt round he was working on down. "If he doesn't exist, fine. Bad crap happens to good people. That's how it is. There's no rhyme or reason - just random, horrible, evil - I get it, okay. I can roll with that." He paused for a moment. "But if he is out there, what's wrong with him? Where the hell is he while all these decent people are getting torn to shreds? How does he live with himself? You know, why doesn't he help?"

Amy sighed as she fiddled with the salt round in her hand. Neither Bobby nor Sam said anything in response.

"I ain't touching this one with at 10-foot pole," Bobby finally said.

Dean nodded. "Yeah."

Bobby stood up from his chair. "Found it," he announced.

"What'd you find?" Amy asked.

"The symbol you saw - the brand on the ghosts..." Bobby began.

Sam nodded. "Yeah?"

"Mark of the Witness," Bobby revealed, turning the book he had been reading around so they could see the page.

"Witness?" Sam asked. "Witness to what?"

"The unnatural." Bobby set the book down as he paraphrased his findings. "None of them died what you'd call ordinary deaths. See, these ghosts - they were forced to rise. They woke up in agony. They were like rabid dogs. It ain't their fault. Someone rose them... on purpose."

Sam exchanged a glance with Dean. "Who?"

Bobby rolled his eyes. "Do I look like I know?" he snapped. "But whoever it was used a spell so powerful it left a mark, a brand on their souls. Whoever did this had big plans. It's called "the rising of the witnesses." It figures into an ancient prophecy."

Dean leaned forward. "Wait, wait. What - what book is that prophecy from?"

"Well, the widely distributed version's just for tourists, you know," Bobby replied. "But long story short - Revelations. This is a sign, you three."

"A sign of what?" Sam and Dean asked simultaneously.

"The apocalypse."

The room fell silent as everyone struggled to comprehend what they had just heard.

"Apocalypse?" Dean repeated. "The apocalypse, apocalypse?" He looked between Amy and Sam, neither of who knew what to say. "The four horsemen, pestilence, $5-a-gallon-gas apocalypse?"

"That's the one," Bobby confirmed. "The rise of the witnesses is a - a mile marker."

Sam took a deep breath. "Okay, so, what do we do now?"

"Road trip." Dean shrugged. "Grand Canyon, Star Trek Experience." He clapped his hands together. "Bunny Ranch," he added humorously. Sam rolled his eyes.

"First things first," Bobby warned. "How about we survive our friends out there?"

"Any ideas aside from staying in this room until Judgment Day?" Dean asked.

"There would be a spell right?" Amy asked.

Bobby nodded. "Right," he confirmed, "to send the witnesses back to rest." He pointed to the page he had been reading. "There's one right here. Should work."

"Should," Sam repeated with uncertainty. "Great."

Bobby ignored him. "If I translated it correctly. I think I got everything we need here at the house."

"Any chance you got everything we need here in this room?" Dean asked nervously.

Bobby scoffed. "So, you thought our luck was gonna start now all of a sudden? Spell's got to be cast over an open fire."

"The fireplace in the library," Sam realized.

"Bingo," Bobby confirmed.

"Can we light a fire in here?" Amy asked, looking around the room. "You don't need those books right? I'm sure they'd make great kindling."

"Ingredients are upstairs," Bobby replied.

"That's just not as appealing as a, uh, ghost-proof panic room, you know?" Dean asked.

Bobby closed the book while Sam, Dean, and Amy grabbed their guns, loading them with salt rounds.

"Cover each other," Bobby instructed as they stood by the door. "And aim careful. Don't run out of ammo until I'm done, or they'll shred you. Ready?"

Everyone nodded and Bobby opened the door. They cautiously made their way out, checking every angle for ghosts. When they reached the stairs, they found a man with curly hair sitting at the top of them.

"Hey, Dean," the ghost greeted. "You remember me?"

"Ronald, huh?" Dean remembered. "With the laser eyes? I wish I could say it's good to see you."

Ronald stood up. "I am dead because of you," he shouted angrily. "You were supposed to help me!"

Ronald was interrupted as Bobby fired a salt round into his chest.

Dean stared at Bobby in shock, who scoffed. "If you're gonna shoot, shoot. Don't talk."

They quickly ran up the stairs to the study. Amy stood guard while Dean made a fire and Sam made a salt circle around Bobby's desk.

Bobby pointed at Sam. "Upstairs, linen closet - red hex box," he instructed. "It'll be heavy."

"Got it," Sam said, running upstairs.

"What can I do?" Amy asked.

Before Bobby could answer, two ghost girls appeared in the room. Amy quickly fired a salt round at them.

"That," Bobby replied. "Make sure I can finish this spell." He looked up at Dean and pointed to the kitchen. "Kitchen. Cutlery drawer. It's got a false bottom. Hemlock, opium, wormwood."

Dean ran towards the kitchen but stopped in his tracks and turned back to Bobby.

"Opium?"

"Go!" Bobby shouted.

Dean ran into the kitchen and the girls reappeared. Amy shot them with another salt round.

As Amy's eyes darted around the room, watching more ghosts, the door to the kitchen slammed shut.

"Dean!" Bobby shouted.

"I'm all right, Bobby!" Dean shouted through the door. "Keep working!"

Amy shot the girls as the reappeared back in the room, much closer to Bobby's desk than last time.

"Where's Dean?" Sam asked as he ran back down the stairs, carrying the box Bobby had sent him to get. Amy pointed to the closed kitchen doors and Sam took off running towards them. He threw himself against the door, until they finally opened.

A few moments later, Sam and Dean reemerged from the kitchen. Sam handed the ingredients for the spell to Bobby.

* * *

With Sam, Dean, and Amy protecting Bobby, the old hunter continued to work on the spell. Ghosts of the two little girls, Meg, Ronald, and Henriksen appeared one by one, only to get filled with rock salt by a hunter.

As Dean reloaded his gun, Ronald reappeared, approaching Dean.

"Ronald," Dean said desperately. "Hey, come on, man. I thought we were pals."

"That's when I was breathing," Ronald snarled. "Now I'm gonna eat you alive."

"Well...come on, I'm not a cheeseburger." Dean finished reloading and aimed his gun, only to find Ronald gone.

Bobby began to chant in latin and the windows sprung open, blowing strong gusts of wind into the room, which moved the salt away. Meg appeared only to be shot by Sam. As Bobby continued to chant, Amy shot Ronald once he reappeared. Henriksen appeared in front of Dean, who aimed his gun, only to have it knocked out of his hands. Dean quickly grabbed another gun and fired, only to find it empty. Amy quickly picked up an iron rod, swinging it through Henriksen's head. Meg appeared and shoved a desk towards Sam, pinning him to the wall. The two little girls also appeared, using the force to pin Amy against the wall as well.

"Sam!" Dean yelled out. "Amy!"

"We're fine!" Amy promised.

"Cover Bobby!" Sam shouted.

Bobby continued chanting the spell as Sam struggled to push the desk away from him. The two ghost girls sat on the desk as Meg approached Bobby from behind. Amy looked around, spotting an iron rod on the ground. Thinking quickly, she used her powers to pick it up, moving it through Meg first, then the ghost girls.

As soon as the ghosts were gone, Amy fell to the floor, catching the iron rod in her hands as she landed. Sam pushed the desk away as Bobby finished the spell and tossed the ingredients into the fire. The flames turned blue and the ghosts disappeared.

Sam panted heavily. "Everyone okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'm okay," Amy replied.

"Same here," Dean agreed.

Bobby turned away from the fire. "Glad you three are okay," he said, "'cause we gotta clean this all up."

"Seriously?" Amy asked, looking around at the shards of broken glass, papers, and empty salt rounds around the room.

"Yep," Bobby confirmed. "Grab a broom."

Amy groaned, reluctantly grabbing a broom as she began to sweep up the broken glass.

Later that night, they finished cleaning up the room. A tired Amy yawned, heading upstairs to turn in for the night.

* * *

**September 24th, 2008**

Amy awoke the next morning and headed downstairs, only to find Sam and Dean talking about something in the kitchen.

"Morning," she greeted with a yawn.

Sam and Dean didn't reply, but began whispering to each other, casting an occasional glance at Amy.

"What's going on?" Amy asked.

"You think it'll work?" Dean asked Sam.

"Think what'll work," Amy asked, growing more confused as she approached the brothers.

Dean didn't reply, but merely stared at her, making Amy feel extremely uncomfortable.

"What are you doing?" she asked. "And why?"

"Hmm," Dean said, relaxing as he turned back to his brother. "Maybe you were wrong."

"Okay, would someone please tell me what's going on?" Amy demanded. "This is getting ridiculous!"

Dean jabbed a finger at his brother. "Sammy here's convinced you can read minds now or something."

Amy groaned. "God, I hope not." She walked past Dean and grabbed a box of cereal, pouring herself a bowl.

"Why not?" Sam asked.

"Why don't I want to know what people are thinking?" Amy repeated. "Would you want me to be able to hear what you were thinking?"

"Uh, no, I suppose not," Sam admitted. "But say this is true, though. That would mean that your powers are getting stronger, right?"

"I suppose so," Amy said, sitting down at the table. "But I'm sure whatever happened at Olivia's house, I'm sure it was just a coincidence. A weird, freaky coincidence. But a coincidence nonetheless."

"Yeah," Dean nodded. "I'm sure you're right."

"Now if you boys will excuse me," Amy said as she picked up her spoon. "I'm hungry."

Sam and Dean left her alone as Amy ate her breakfast. As she ate, the same thought kept coming back to her. What if Sam and Dean were right? Back at Olivia's house, she had heard Dean ask her a question clear as day, but he had insisted he hadn't said anything. Nothing else like that had happened that day or the day after, but Amy couldn't help but wonder if there was some truth to what the Winchester's were suggesting. What if her powers were getting stronger? What if, one day, she'd be able to do more than just move things by thinking about it?


	14. In the Beginning

**September 25th, 2008 - Willow Tree Motel**

Amy stirred in her sleep as she heard movement from the other bed. Giving up, she opened her eyes, rolling over to see Dean tossing and turning in bed. She couldn't help but notice that Sam was nowhere around. Amy sat up as she spotted Cas sitting at the edge of Dean's bed.

"Cas?" Amy asked sleepily.

The angel ignored her.

Dean sat up a start, breathing heavily as he woke from a nightmare he had clearly been having. He looked up, jumping at the sight of Cas.

"Hello, Dean," Cas greeted. "What were you dreaming about?"

Dean groaned in annoyance. "What, do you get your freak on by watching other people sleep?" He sighed, putting his feet on the floor. "What do you want?"

"Listen to me," Cas said. "You have to stop it."

"Stop what?" Dean asked.

Instead of responding, Cas put two fingers on Dean's forehead, and the Winchester vanished.

"Where'd he go?" Amy asked, now fully awake.

"You need to go as well," Cas told her as he approached her bed.

"Go? Go where?"

Once again, instead of answering, Castiel put two fingers on her forehead, and Amy's vision went black.

* * *

**October 12th, 1988 - Lawrence, Kansas**

"Hey, kid. Come on wake up," a voice said. "You can't sleep here."

Amy slowly opened her eyes. "Huh? Where am I?"

"Somewhere you shouldn't be," the police officer told her before walking off.

"No, I mean-" Amy began, only to stop when she saw that the officer was too far away to hear her.

Amy sat up on the bench, looking around in confusion. She was outside, in the middle of the day, but hadn't it just been the middle of the night?

'Oh _, right_ ,' she thought, rubbing her head, ' _time travel_.' She sighed as she stood up and pulled out her phone, pushing the button on top to light up the screen. The first thing she noticed was that she had no service. The second thing she noticed was that Dean was nowhere in sight. She pocketed her phone and pulled out her wallet.

' _I guess Cas sent us to different time periods_. _At least he sent me here with my wallet._ ' Amy looked inside the wallet, counting fifty dollars.

Finally deciding to get up, Amy walked into the diner behind her. She made her way inside, ignoring the stares she got as she sat down at a bar stool next to a couple. She spotted a newspaper nearby on the counter and pulled it closer, reading the date.

"October 12th, 1988," Amy read to herself as she glanced at the headline, which read 'Bonita Granville dies at age 65'. She turned to the couple next to her. "Excuse me?"

The woman looked over at her. "Yes?"

"Could you tell me where I am?" At the woman's questioning look, she added. "Sorry, I'm just a little out of it today, I guess."

"Lawrence, Kansas," the man replied. He extended his hand. "Henry Jones." He pointed to a pregnant woman next to him. "This is my wife, Jessica."

Amy's voice caught in her throat as she stared in shock at the curly-haired man in front of her.

"Amy," she finally said as she shook the man's hand.

"Do we know each other?" Henry asked.

"Oh, uh, no." Amy shook her head. "Sorry, you just look familiar."

"So, what brings you to town, Amy?" Jessica asked.

"Oh, just passing through," Amy replied. "I'm actually heading to, uh, Lebanon." She flagged down a man behind the counter. "Can I get a hot chocolate to go?" she ordered.

"What a coincidence," Henry said with a laugh. "My wife and I are heading to Lebanon as well to visit her family. Maybe we'll run into each other there."

Amy smiled. "Yeah, maybe we will."

"Hopefully we see you again soon," Jessica said as they left the diner. "Bye, Amy."

Amy's hot chocolate was brought over and she stood up, walking out the doors with her drink. It wasn't until she had gotten outside, that reality finally set in.

' _Holy crap_ ,' she thought, ' _I just met my mom and dad_.'

* * *

Amy walked down the sidewalk alone, trying to process what had just happened. Maybe she could actually go to Lebanon after all. Get to know them a bit more. She turned a corner, nearly colliding with Castiel.

"Cas?" Amy asked in shock, nearly dropping her drink. "What the hell? Why did you send me here?"

"You need to know."

"Way to be vague," Amy snapped. "I need to know what?"

A passing truck distracted Amy for a moment. When she turned back, Cas was gone.

Amy sighed as she tossed her empty cup into the trash. She needed a car to actually get to Lebanon in the first place, but where would she actually get one? She walked around, until finally spotting a silver Cadillac Seville sitting by itself in the parking lot. Looking around, she made her way over to the car. Mentally thanking the fact that Bobby had taught her how to hotwire, she started the vehicle up before getting in and pulling out of the lot.

Amy drove down the highway, towards Lebanon Kansas. As she drove, she listened to the radio. Songs from Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, and various other artists were playing as she scanned through the stations. She flipped to a different station, only to hear the song ' _Never Gonna Give You Up_ ' by Rick Astley playing.

"Oh hell, no," Amy muttered as she turned the radio off. "I am not getting rickrolled in 1988." She sighed as she continued driving in silence.

* * *

**Lebanon, Kansas**

A few hours later, around seven, she reached her destination. Pulling onto the side of the road, she began to contemplate her options. She had no idea if Henry and Jessica were in Lebanon yet, or even where they would be. So, she could either A, drive around until she found them but risk looking like a stalker or B, check into a motel somewhere and just hope that, by coincidence, she happened to run into them somewhere. She decided her best option was to check into a motel somewhere. But first, she wanted to get something to eat. She found a small pizzeria down the road and got out of the car, grabbing her wallet as she did.

Amy entered the small restaurant, sitting down at a vacant booth. Soon after, a waiter came over. After ordering a coke and a small cheese pizza, the waiter left again, leaving Amy with her thoughts. As she waited for her food, she stared out the window. This was the first time she had been in another city and state without Sam, Dean, or Bobby with her. What the hell was she supposed to do out on her own like this?

' _Okay, focus, Amy_ ,' she thought, ' _it's not like you haven't done this before. Only difference now is Sam, Dean, or Bobby aren't here. You're capable of checking into a motel room by yourself, you can drive, you know how to hunt if needed. You got this. Check into a room for the night and worry about finding Henry and Jessica tomorrow_.'

"Amy?" A voice called out from the entrance. Amy looked up to see Henry and Jessica walking towards her.

' _Or let them come to you_ ,' Amy thought as she waved at them. "I didn't expect to see you here," she said as they sat down across from her.

"Small world, I guess," Henry said with a smile.

"Yeah, I guess so," Amy agreed as the waiter from earlier brought her a can of coke.

"Can I get you guys anything?" The waiter asked, looking at Henry and Jessica.

"No thank you."

The waiter left again and Henry turned to Amy. "Alright, Amy, my wife and I need a fresh opinion on something."

Amy leaned forward. "What's up?"

"We seem to be in a little bit of a disagreement over whether we're having a boy or a girl."

"I think it's a girl," Jessica told her.

"Whereas I say it's a boy," Henry added. "So, what do you think? We'll call you our tie-breaker. Boy or girl?"

"I say girl," Amy replied with a knowing smile.

Henry groaned in defeat as Jessica leaned across the table and high-fived Amy.

"Come on, you can't help me out just a little bit?" Henry asked.

Amy shook her head. "Nope. In fact, I'm pretty adamant that it's a girl."

"What makes you so sure?"

"Just a hunch," Amy replied.

The waiter brought over Amy's pizza and she took a slice, setting it on a plate. "I'm not gonna eat this whole thing, so if you guys want a slice, feel free to take one," she offered.

"So, now that you're where you were telling us you'd be," Jessica spoke as she took a slice of pizza, "What brings you to Lebanon?"

"I'm looking for someone," Amy replied, thinking up something on the spot.

"Oh yeah?" Henry asked. "Who?"

Amy shrugged. "I'm not sure yet. But I think I'll know once I find them."

"Are you here by yourself?" Jessica asked.

"Yeah." Amy nodded. "I was gonna check into a motel room for the night. Figure out where to go from there."

"Oh no, don't do that. There's a spare room at my parents' place. You can stay there for the night if you want."

"Jessica!" Henry cried out in protest.

"Yeah, I agree with Henry," Amy agreed, "Jessica!"

"Dear, you can't just invite people you don't know to stay at your house."

Jessica switched seats, coming over to sit down next to Amy, who scooted over to let her in. "She's just a kid, Henry," she protested. "I'm not letting her stay in a dingy motel room by herself."

"You don't even know me, though," Amy protested back.

"I feel like I do, though," Jessica admitted. "I can't put my finger on it, but something about you seems extremely familiar."

"You know, now that you mention it," Henry said, "You guys actually look almost identical."

"Really?" Amy asked as she tilted her head in confusion.

"Yeah," Henry confirmed, "Even now you're both making the exact same confused expression. You two aren't related are you."

' _Yes_ ,' Amy thought. "I don't think so, she said.

"Well," Jessica spoke up, interrupting her husband's thoughts, "We were just about to take off. Last chance to take up our offer."

"I-are you sure?" Amy asked. "I mean, I just met you guys."

"Oh, don't be ridiculous," Jessica insisted, "We insist. As an upcoming mom, I refuse to let you stay in a dingy motel room by yourself?"

"Well," Amy thought for a moment, "I suppose so. Only if you guys are absolutely sure, though."

Henry nodded. "I suppose I'm okay with it."

"Great!" Jessica exclaimed. "Is your car outside?"

"Yeah," Amy pointed out the window, "It's that silver Seville out there."

"Why don't you follow us in your car?" Henry suggested. "It's not far from here."

Amy nodded. "Sounds good."

* * *

A few minutes later, the waiter brought over the bill. Amy pulled out ten dollars, setting it on the table before standing up. "I'm ready whenever you guys are."

"Perfect!" Henry beamed. "Let's get going."

Henry, Jessica, and Amy made their way outside.

"Our car is the little black one over there," Henry informed her, pointing out their vehicle. "The house is just a few miles from here."

"Okay," Amy said with a nod as she made her way to her car. She started it up once more and pulled out behind her parents' car.

* * *

About twenty minutes later, they reached a white suburban house. Amy parked next to the sidewalk across the street, getting out to meet Henry and Jessica.

"Oh, I should probably warn you about my father," Jessica warned, "it takes him a while to warm up to new people."

"Should I be worried?" Amy asked.

"No, not at all," Jessica assured her, "just giving you a heads up. He can get pretty grumpy at times."

Amy followed her parents to the front door, where Henry rang the doorbell.

A moment later, an old woman opened the door. "Jessie!" she greeted, pulling the pregnant woman into a hug. After a beat, they released and the old woman stepped back. "Who's this?" she asked, noticing Amy.

"I'm Amy," Amy introduced.

"Amy, this is my mother, April," Jessica said, introducing Amy to her grandmother.

Amy smiled as she looked at her grandmother for the first time. Once again, her voice caught in her throat. She wanted to run up and give her grandmother a hug. She wanted, more than anything, to be able to tell them right then and there who she was. But all Amy could do was stare in shock and amazement.

"She's passing through but needed a place to stay for the night," Henry explained. "Jessica here refused to let her stay in a motel room by herself."

"You're here alone?" the old woman repeated, addressing Amy.

Amy nodded.

"Well, I suppose one night couldn't hurt," the woman decided, "it's my husband you'll have to convince, though." She took a good, long look at the three of them. "Well, come on in, guys," April finally said, stepping to the side. "It's cold out there."

Everyone walked into the house and April closed the door behind them. As soon as she stepped inside, Amy felt a cozy feeling wash over her. The house was small, but definitely the perfect size for a couple living on their own. There was a small living room directly ahead of her and a tiny kitchen to the left. Sitting on a white couch, was a thin, balding man, fast asleep.

' _And, that must be my grandfather,_ ' Amy thought, as she saw the man. She didn't know what to think when she saw him. The man had a stern but calm type of look on his face. It was a look that made Amy feel both nervous, but also welcome at the same time.

"James," April called out, "Henry, Jessica, and a friend of theirs are here."

"Huh?" James asked, waking with a start. "Oh, Jess, how are you?" he asked, grabbing a cane from next to the couch and pushing himself up.

"Oh, dad, you don't have to get up," Jessica told her father as she led Henry and Amy over. She leaned down, giving him a hug. When she straightened back up again, she gestured to Amy. "This is Amy. I hope it's okay but she needs a place to stay for the night and I didn't want her staying in a motel by herself."

James huffed. "You know how I feel about you bringing strangers into my house, Jessica."

"I know dad, but she's nice, I swear."

"I'll be out of here by tomorrow," Amy promised, although she wasn't sure if she believed it herself.

James huffed again. "Don't break anything," he warned.

"I won't," Amy promised.

James sighed. "As long as April's okay with it, I suppose I am too." He pointed up a flight of stairs. "Spare rooms are upstairs to the right. Bathroom's up there too."

"Thank you, sir." Amy gave the old man a small smile.

"I'll show you to the rooms," Jessica offered. Amy nodded and followed her upstairs.

Jessica opened the door to one of the spare bedrooms. "This should work for you for the night. Henry and I will be in the room next door."

"Jessica? Can I ask you something?" Amy asked.

Jessica nodded.

"Why are you being so nice and so trusting towards me? I haven't even known you for a day."

"I feel like I know you," Jessica repeated from earlier. "Something about you makes me want to trust you. I know I probably shouldn't but you just have this innocent look about you that tells me I should."

Amy smiled slightly at that.

"I'll leave you to get settled," Jess told her. "Come on downstairs when you're done. My mother makes the best lemon meringue pie when guests come over."

"Mmm! That's my favorite," Amy said, closing her eyes at the thought of the taste.

"Mine too!" Jess exclaimed. With that, she left the room, leaving Amy alone.

Amy looked around the room. There was a small, twin-sized bed pushed against the wall, with blue sheets set up on it. Across from the bed was a small fireplace in the wall and next to that was a brown wicker chair. Spotting some picture frames on the mantle above the fireplace, Amy made her way over to get a better look at them.

Resting on the mantle were six picture frames. Amy picked one up to examine it. The picture was of a red-headed little girl, wearing a purple dress and a pair of blue sunglasses shaped like hearts. Amy smiled slightly as she put the picture down and picked up another. This one was of the same girl from the last picture and a brown-haired girl, hugging each other as they grinned ear to ear.

As Amy looked at the pictures one by one, she found a familiar tune coming back to her mind. A song she had stuck in her head a lot as a child. She had never known where she had heard it and Google had never been any help either, but it was a song that somehow made her feel at home.

"You'll never know how I wanted just to comfort you," Amy began to sing quietly to herself. "You'll never know how I hurt inside the way you do. It was so hard to watch you suffer in that way. I felt so helpless, so I'm begging you please let me stay. Want you to know how I'll try to ease the pain for you. Need you to understand that I'll be around when you feel blue. It will be easy, for help is never far away. I'll wipe away your tears. Show you beauty in each passing day."

"Where did you hear that?" a voice asked from behind her. Amy turned around to see Jessica standing in the doorway.

"Oh, uh, I don't know," Amy admitted. "But I used to get it stuck in my head all the time growing up. Something about it seems familiar but I never knew where I first heard it. It would just get stuck in my head from time to time."

Jessica stepped into the room. "That's a song someone wrote for my mother when she was younger," she said. "She used to sing it to me all the time when I was a kid."

' _Crap_.'

"Oh, really?" Amy asked. ' _Please don't be suspicious, please don't be suspicious, please don't_ -'

"Who are you?"

Amy shook her head. "I'm nobody."

Without warning, Jessica grabbed her arm. "Who. Are. You?" she asked, each word harsher than the last.

"Okay, okay!" Amy exclaimed. "I'll tell you."

Jessica released her arm and Amy sighed, walking over to sit on the bed.

"Well?" Jessica asked.

"You're never going to believe me," Amy started.

"Try me," Jessica said, crossing her arms.

Amy took a deep breath. "Okay. Well, first off, I'm a hunter, like you."

"How did you-?"

Amy interrupted by pointing at the charm bracelet, decorated with protection symbols, around Jessica's wrist. "I noticed it at the restaurant earlier."

"Why didn't you say anything earlier?"

"I didn't know if Henry knew," Amy replied. "And I know this type of job isn't exactly something you go around telling people about."

Jessica nodded. "Okay. That still doesn't explain how you knew that song?"

"This is where the "you're never going to believe me" bit comes in," Amy began.

"The two of us apparently both have a career hunting monsters," Jessica reminded her. "Try me."

Amy took a deep breath. "Okay." She fiddled with her thumbs, trying to come up with the words. "Since you're a hunter of the supernatural, do you believe in things like angels and demons?"

Jessica nodded. "I suppose so."

"Well...I'm not exactly from around here," Amy continued. "An angel named Castiel sent me back... from the future."

"I don't believe you," Jessica decided.

"I told you, you wouldn't." Amy stood back up. "But it's true. I'm from the year 2008."

"Prove it," Jessica demanded. "Tell me something that will happen tomorrow."

Amy racked her brain, trying to think of something she could tell Jessica, when she suddenly remembered that she didn't have to. "I don't have to," she said as she pulled out her phone. It was an iphone, manufactured in 2007.

"What is that?" Jessica asked, looking at the device.

"It's a cell-phone," Amy told her. "It was built in 2007."

Jessica held out a hand. "Can I-"

"I don't see why not?" Amy shrugged, handing the phone over. When Jessica had a hold of the phone, she pushed the top button, making the screen light up.

"What the?!" Jessica exclaimed, nearly dropping the device.

"Sorry," Amy said. "It's a smartphone. You can call people, send mail, browse the internet, and play games all from this device," she explained.

"That is-" Jessica gasped in astonishment as she handed the phone back. "You really are from the future."

Amy nodded. "Only problem is, I have no idea why I'm in 1988."

"Well, what did this Castiel guy say when he sent you here?"

"Cas is pretty vague in his answers." Amy rubbed the back of her neck. "The only thing he said was "you need to know," whatever that means."

"Maybe there's some information you need to find out?" Jessica suggested.

Amy shrugged. "Maybe. I don't know what that could be, though."

"Like you said earlier, in the diner, I'm sure you'll know when you find it."

"You're probably right." The smell of lemon meringue pie drifted in through the open door.

"Mmm! Lemon meringue!" Amy and Jessica exclaimed at the same time. Casting a look at eachother, they broke out into a fit of laughter.

"Come on, let's go grab a slice," Jessica said as she walked out of the room, Amy following behind.

After grabbing a slice of pie, Amy sat down in the living room with everyone else.

"So, Amy, tell us," April said, sitting down next to James, "where are you from?"

"I live in Sioux Falls at the moment with my uncle," Amy replied, "but I grew up in LA."

"Where are your parents?" April asked.

"Oh, uh," Amy cast a glance at Henry and Jessica. "I never knew them," she admitted. "They died when I was a baby."

"Oh, you poor thing!" Jessica exclaimed, wrapping her arms around Amy.

"I mean, it's okay, really. I've learned to accept it," Amy assured her mother. "Besides, I ended up getting a family that really cares about me a couple years ago, so I'd say everything worked out pretty well."

"Your uncle," James spoke up, "how come you just moved in with him?"

"Well, technically speaking, he's not really my uncle, I just call him that sometimes," Amy explained. "But a couple years ago, Bobby kinda took me in, let me live with him. It's not much, but it's home."

"Do you like it there?" Henry asked.

Amy nodded. "Yeah."

"Hey, Henry, could I talk to you for a moment?" Jessica asked, standing up.

Henry followed his wife out of the room and Amy ate her pie in silence. She could hear them talking in the other room, casting an occasional glance at her. After a few minutes, they came back in.

"Hey, uh, Amy," Henry said, "Jess and I wanted to ask you something really quick in the other room."

"Sure!" Amy stood up, taking her pie with her. She followed Jess and Henry back into the other room. "What's going on?"

"Jess here says you're from the future," Henry told her. "Is that true?"

Amy cast Jess a glance before answering. "Yeah, it is."

"But there's something else, isn't there?" Jessica said. "Something you're not telling us. I can see it in your eyes whenever you look at us."

Amy stayed silent, bringing her eyes to the floor.

"There is, isn't there?" Henry asked.

Amy nodded. She couldn't bring herself to lie to Jessica and Henry. Sure, they didn't raise her, but they did bring her into the world.

"Do you-do you remember back at the restaurant when I said I was adamant that your baby would be a girl?" she asked.

Henry and Jess nodded.

"Well, the truth is, I'm 100% certain that she's going to be a girl."

"How could you possibly know that?" Henry questioned.

Amy took a deep breath, trying to figure out exactly how she was going to word what she was about to say. "The same way I know that she'll have wavy, brown hair and brown eyes. The same way I know that she'll grow up loving to swim in the summer and read in the library where she grows up all the other times."

Tears began to well up in Amy's eyes. "The same way I know that she has this voice of a woman that's not her singing a song that she knows by heart now. A song that she sings to herself when she gets scared or lonely or sad. I know the same way I know that she'll spend so much time in a library growing up, surrounded by hundreds of books, that she'll be able to read and write by the time she's four. I know that when she's six, she'll walk into first grade reading a book meant for someone in a higher grade than she is, but she'll love every word of it."

"The same way that," Amy paused, rubbing her eyes, "the same way that I know that even though she never knew them, she misses her parents every day. And that she wishes she could have gotten a chance to know them, even if it meant having to go back in time."

At those words, Jessica gasped. "You mean?"

Amy nodded, sniffling as tears continued running down her face. "My name is Amelia Jones. I'm your daughter, from the future."

Jessica didn't say a word. Instead, she slowly approached, resting a hand on Amy's cheek as she studied her face. "Henry, remember earlier when you said we looked alike?"

"Yeah."

"I can see it now." Jessica smiled as she pulled Amy into a hug. Amy began to weep as she hugged her mother.

Jessica suddenly pulled away. "Oh my god. I just realized why you looked so familiar." She took off, out of the room, and up the stairs.

Henry slowly approached, eyeing Amy curiously. "Are you really-?"

Amy nodded and Jessica came back down, holding a picture frame.

"This is a picture of my grandmother as a kid," Jessica told Amy as she showed her the picture.

Amy took the picture, getting a good look at it. The woman in the picture looked almost identical to Amy, with the only difference being that the woman had bangs that hung down over her eyes and she wore glasses.

"She looks just like you," Jess said.

Amy handed back the picture and Jess set it on a table next to her. It was then that Amy's parents both pulled her into a group hug.

"Hi mom," Amy said through tears, "Hi dad."

"Wait," Henry suddenly said, pulling away, "We didn't get a chance to watch you grow up, did we?"

Amy shook her head. "You were both killed when I was a baby. I grew up in an orphanage."

"I'm so sorry, Amy," Jess whispered.

Amy gave a small smile. "Hey, at least I finally got to meet you guys, though."

"How did it happen?" Henry asked.

"Henry!" Jess exclaimed.

"No, it's okay," Amy assured her. "Does he, you know-?"

Jess seemed to understand what she was implying because she nodded. "Yeah, he knows what I do."

"You're a hunter, too?" Henry asked.

Amy nodded. "Bobby, Sam, and Dean, the guys I live with, are hunters. When they took me in a couple years ago, they taught me how to hunt as well."

"My daughter is hunting monsters," Henry said, almost in realization.

Amy nodded. "But, um, when I was a few months old, a demon came into the house and killed you both."

"But how did you get out?" Jess asked.

"I, uh, I ended up somewhere else, somewhere far away?"

"Where?" Henry asked.

Amy sighed. "Well, I've already told you I'm your daughter from the future. How much crazier can I get, right?" She chuckled a little before replying. "I ended up in an alternate universe, in the year 1998."

"Excuse me, what?" Henry asked.

"Yeah," Amy nodded. "An archangel I know showed me. Apparently, dad, the demon threw you backwards while you were holding me and you accidentally let go of me as you flew back. This...portal type thing opened up and I fell into it. I lived in that world for seventeen years before I woke up back here one day. It wasn't until that happened that I started to learn when and where I had actually come from."

"That is-"

"Incredible," Jess finished her husband's thought.

"That's not all, though," Amy continued. "There's something else you guys should know. Something happened when I fell through that portal."

"What happened?"

"I think it would be easier if I just showed you," Amy said. She focused on a nearby rocking chair, willing it to rock back and forth.

"What the hell?" Henry asked as he looked at his wife's pregnant belly.

"Yeah," Amy said, rubbing the back of her neck. "I'm not entirely, 100% sure, but I think I got these powers when I was a baby and, well you know."

"That is incredible," Jess repeated.

"I'm so sorry we weren't there to watch you grow up, Amelia," Henry told her.

Amy smiled. "I'm just glad I got to meet you guys. Just, do me a favor, okay?"

Jess and Henry nodded.

"Be careful."

Without answering, Jess and Henry pulled her into another hug.

* * *

**September 25th, 2008 - Willow Tree Motel**

Amy pulled away from the hug to find that she was now hugging a pillow. She looked around to find herself back in the motel with Sam and Dean. Back in 2008. She wiped tears from her eyes, but it was no use. The tears kept coming. She looked in the bed next to her to find it empty. Dean must have gone off to fetch Sam.

Knowing she was alone, Amy began to bawl her eyes out. She lay down on her side, crying into the pillow that she had found herself hugging only moments earlier.

"Gabe?" she whispered. "Where are you? I really need you right now."

A flutter of wings indicated the archangel's presence. As soon as he saw Amy, his face fell and he rushed over.

"Are you okay?" Gabe asked.

Amy started to nod, but quickly changed to shaking her head. "I just really need someone right now."

"What happened?"

"Cas," Amy told the archangel. "He sent Dean back in time and then decided to do the same to me."

"What?" Gabe asked.

Amy nodded. "Cas sent me back to 1988 alone." She looked the archangel in the face. "Gabe, I met my parents."

Without a word, Gabriel pulled Amy into a tight hug. "Are you okay?" he repeated.

"No," Amy cried.

"Where are Sam and Dean right now?" Gabe asked.

"Sam wasn't here before Cas sent us back, and Dean wasn't when I woke up back here. I think Dean went to go find Sam."

"I'll stay as long as I can," Gabe promised.

"Thank you," Amy whispered.

Gabe lay down on the bed next to hers, flipping on the TV. Amy watched for a minute, before standing up. Gabriel watched her as she made her way to the other bed. Without saying a word, Amy curled up on the bed, resting her head on the archangel's shoulder as she drifted off to sleep.


	15. Metamorphosis

**September 26th, 2008 - Willow Tree Motel**

Amy woke up alone a few hours later to the sound of the motel room door opening. Moonlight shone into the room as Sam entered with a solemn look on his face. He didn't say anything as he lay down in the vacant bed.

"What happened?" Amy dared to ask.

"Nothing," was the only reply she got as Sam turned her back to her.

Amy decided not to push the matter further as she closed her eyes once more.

* * *

Amy woke up again a few hours later as Dean angrily threw the door open. Sam, who had been sitting at the table by the door, reading, stood up as his brother stormed into the room. Dean didn't say a word as he grabbed his bag and began to pack his stuff.

"Dean, what are you doing?" Sam asked.

Dean didn't reply as he continued packing.

Sam watched Dean pack for a moment, confusion on his face. "What, are you, are you leaving?" he asked.

"You don't need me," Dean decided. "You and Ruby go fight demons." He looked at Amy. "Pack your stuff."

"Where are we going?" Amy asked meekly.

"Away," Dean replied. "Now pack."

Amy reluctantly grabbed her bag and began putting her belongings into it. Dean grabbed his bag and made his way to the door, only to be blocked by Sam.

"Hold on. Dean, come on, man," Sam said as Dean walked around him.

Without warning, Dean spun around and punched Sam in the face. The force of the punch spun Sam around so his back was to Dean.

"You satisfied?" Sam asked. In response, Dean threw another punch and tossed his bag to the floor.

Amy backed away, trying to get as far away from Sam and Dean as she could.

Sam chuckled as he touched his bleeding lip. "I guess not."

"Do you even know how far off the reservation you've gone?" Dean shouted angrily. "How far from normal? From human?"

"I'm just exorcising demons," Sam tried to explain.

"With your mind!" Dean yelled. His voice got scarily calm. "What else can you do?"

"I can send them back to hell," Sam replied. "It only works with demons, and that's it."

Dean, not accepting the answer given to him, grabbed Sam's shirt and shoved him backwards. "What else can you do?!" he demanded.

"I told you!" Sam insisted as he pushed Dean's hand away.

"And I have every reason in the world to believe that," Dean snapped. He glared at Amy. "Did you know about this?"

"No!" Amy answered honestly. "I must have forgotten about it but I swear I didn't know!"

Dean gave his brother another glare before turning around. "Amy, if you want to come, now's your chance."

Amy grabbed her bag without a word as Dean walked towards the door.

"Look, I should have said something," Sam said to his brother's back.

Dean stopped walking, but didn't turn around.

"I'm sorry, Dean. I am," Sam continued. "But try to see the other side here."

Dean spun back around. "The other side?"

"I'm pulling demons out of innocent people," Sam defended.

"Use the knife!" Dean argued.

"The knife kills the victim!" Sam shouted in protest. "What I do, most of them survive! Look, I've saved more people in the last five months than we save in a year."

"That what Ruby wants you to think?" Dean asked. "Huh? Kind of like the way she tricked you into using your powers?"

Amy looked up at that.

Dean shook his head sadly. "Slippery slope, brother. Just wait and see. Because it's gonna get darker and darker, and God knows where it ends."

"I'm not gonna let it go too far," Sam insisted.

Dean smiled at Sam. He kept that smile on his face as he walked over to the lamp on the table between the two beds and angrily knocked the lamp to the floor, the smile turning into a scowl. "It's already gone too far, Sam," he shouted. "If I didn't know you... I would wanna hunt you."

Sam didn't say anything as he nodded, looking down at the floor.

"And so would other hunters," Dean continued.

Sam looked up at those words. "You were gone. I was here," he said quietly. "I had to keep on fighting without you. And what I'm doing... It works."

"Well, tell me. If it's so terrific," Dean began, "then why'd you lie about it to me?"

Sam looked down, not replying.

"Why did an angel tell me to stop you?" Dean continued.

Sam looked up in surprise. "What?"

"Cas said that if I don't stop you, he will," Dean replied angrily. "See what that means, Sam? That means that God doesn't want you doing this. So, are you just gonna stand there and tell me everything is all good?"

Sam turned his head to the floor as Dean stared at him, waiting for an answer. Amy looked between the brothers as silence filled the room. An eternity seemed to go by before the silence was broken by the sound of Sam's phone ringing on the table behind Amy, who jumped at the noise.

Sam walked past Amy to answer his phone. "Hello?" There was a pause while Sam pinched the bridge of his nose as he listened to the speaker on the other end. "Hey, Travis. Yeah, hey." Another pause. "Uh. It's good to hear your voice, too, yeah. Um, look, it's not a really good time right now. It's-" Sam paused again. "Yeah, okay. Uh, well, just give me the details, and, uh.." Sam walked over to the bedside table as he wrote down some information. "Carthage, Missouri. Looking for Jack Montgomery." Sam put down the pen and ended the call. He waved his phone around as he looked over at Dean. "Got us a case."

"Seriously?" Dean asked. "After all that, you 'got us a case'?"

Sam shrugged. "Travis says we should check this guy out. I think we should take it."

Dean sighed at his brother. "Okay, fine. Pack your stuff. We'll head out as soon as everyone's ready."

"Okay, yeah," Sam said as he grabbed his bag.

* * *

Within five minutes, they were back in the Impala, on the road.

"Hey, so, uh, while you were...you know," Dean began once their trip to Carthage had started.

"Yeah?" Sam asked.

"Uh, Cas, he showed up. Sent me back to 1973."

"He sent me back too," Amy spoke up. "To 1988."

"Really?" Sam asked. "Why would he do that?"

"Well, he sent me back to, as he said, stop it," Dean replied.

"Stop what?" Sam asked.

Dean paused for a moment before answering. "To stop mom from making the deal."

Sam stared in shock at his brother. "To what?"

Dean sighed. "Yeah, apparently, mom was a hunter before she married dad. Turns out we come from a whole family of hunters. Uh, long story short, Azazel killed dad and mom made a deal to bring him back."

"So, did you?" Sam asked.

"Did I what?"

"Stop her?" Sam clarified. "From making the deal."

"Of course not, man!" Dean practically shouted. "You think we would still have this life if I had actually been able to stop her? Besides, Cas said it was destiny or crap." He looked through the rearview mirror at Amy. "Why'd he send you back though?"

Amy shifted in her seat. "All he said was, I have to know." She shrugged. "Still don't know what he meant by that, but..."

"But what?" Sam asked.

A tear fell from Amy's eye as she thought about the previous night. "I met my parents."

Silence fell from the from the front seat as Sam and Dean exchanged a look.

"You what?" Sam asked.

"I met my parents," Amy repeated sadly. "And my grandparents."

"Are you okay?" Dean asked.

Amy nodded. "I think so." She paused. "Actually, I don't know. My mom was pregnant with me when I met them. It felt so weird. And they were incredibly nice too. I was planning on staying in a motel or something for the night but my mom insisted on letting me stay in the guest room at my grandparents' place, which is how I ended up meeting them."

"Were both your parents hunters?"

"No," Amy replied. "Only my mom was, I think at least one of my grandparents was, but they never said anything so I'm not entirely sure though. My dad knew my mom was a hunter, though."

"Did you tell them who you were?" Sam asked.

"Not at first," Amy admitted. "My mom ended up figuring it out though, and then she told my dad. She caught me singing this song I had known since I was a little kid. I had no idea where I'd first heard it from but it turns out it was a song my mom used to sing to me when I was a baby. Someone wrote it for my grandmother and then my mom sang it for me as a lullaby. I didn't get to spend much time with them though because not long after that, I woke up back in the motel room. Dean was already gone by then."

"Yeah, sorry about that," Dean said. "You weren't there so I figured you were either with Sam or you had just stepped out for a bit."

Sam chuckled slightly. "I can't believe it. Both our moms were hunters."

"I wouldn't have believed mom was one either if I hadn't seen it myself," Dean said with a smile. "That woman could kick some ass. I mean, she almost took me down."

"How'd she look? I mean... was she happy?" Sam asked.

Dean nodded. Yeah, she was awesome. Funny and smart. So hopeful." Dean glanced at Sam for a moment, before turning back to the road. "Dad, too. Until of course..." Dean trailed off.

Sam sighed.

"What?" Dean asked.

Sam looked out his window. "Nothing," he replied. After a moment, though, he turned back to Dean. "It's just our parents," he began, "and now we find out our grandparents too? Our whole family murdered and for what? So Yellow Eyes could get in my nursery and bleed in my mouth?"

Amy and Dean looked over at Sam in confusion. Amy pretty much knew exactly what Sam was thinking, because she was thinking the same thing.

"Sam," Dean finally said, "I never said anything about demon blood."

Sam looked away guiltily.

"You knew about that?" Dean asked, slightly angry.

"Yeah, for about a year," Sam replied, not looking at Dean.

"A whole year?" Dean asked.

"I should have told you," Sam said in defense. "I'm sorry."

"You've been saying that a lot lately, Sam. But whatever," Dean snapped. "You don't want to tell me, you don't have to. It's fine." He turned back to the road, looking dead ahead.

"Dean."

Dean continued staring at the road, ignoring his brother.

Sam sighed. "Whatever."

"So, who's Travis?" Amy asked, trying to break the deafening silence.

"Old hunting buddy," Dean replied. "Used to work with our dad. We haven't seen him since Sam was in high school though." He nudged Sam. "Did he say what was so important about this guy?"

"Just that we needed to check this Jack Montgomery guy out," Sam replied. "Wanted us to tell him if we found anything weird."

"Anything weird?" Amy repeated. "What does that mean? Our kind of weird?"

Sam shrugged. "Guess we'll find out."

Amy shrugged. "Okay then," she said as she put her feet up on the seat next to her and leaned back against the window.

* * *

**Carthage, Missouri - Rainbow Trout Motel**

A couple hours later, they arrived in Carthage Missouri. They checked into Rainbow Trout motel and immediately got to work trying to find Jack Montgomery.

"Pretty sure I found him," Sam said after a few minutes of searching. "Database says there's only one person named Jack Montgomery. He doesn't live too far from here."

Dean nodded. "Alright. We'll go check him out tonight."

* * *

Later that night, they headed out to Jack Montgomery's house. Dean parked the Impala across the street from the address Sam had given him and pulled out a pair of binoculars, looking through them.

"What do you see?" Amy asked.

Dean shook his head. "Nothing I would call weird." He put the binoculars down. "Are you sure that's him?"

"Only Jack Montgomery in town," Sam replied.

"And we're looking for..." Dean trailed off, waiting for Sam to answer.

"Travis said to keep an eye out for anything weird," Sam repeated.

"Weird how?" Amy asked.

Dean put the binoculars down. "Yeah, I've seen big weird, little weird, weird with crazy on top. But this guy? I mean, come on, this guy's boring."

"I don't know, Dean. Travis seemed pretty sure," Sam said as he picked up his own pair of binoculars.

"Hey, you got an extra one of those?" Amy asked.

"No, sorry," Dean said, "but you can borrow mine when I'm done with them."

Sam and Dean watched through their binoculars for a few more minutes while Amy tried squinting to get a view herself, before giving up and deciding to wait for someone to hand theirs over to her.

A few short minutes later, Sam and Dean simultaneously lowered their binoculars. Both of them had the same disgusted look on their face.

Amy leaned forward. "What is it? Can I see?"

"I don't think you want to see this," Sam told her.

"Bitch please," Amy protested. "What could be worse than the dead bodies and gore I've already had my fair share of seeing since meeting you guys?"

"Don't say I didn't warn you," Sam said as he reluctantly handed over his binoculars.

Amy put the binoculars to her eyes and looked through the window to the house across the street. Inside the house was a man aggressively eating raw meat, shoving handfuls of it at a time into his mouth. Seeing enough, Amy also lowered the binoculars in disgust.

"Told you. I'd say that qualifies as weird," Sam said.

"Ya think?" Amy asked as she handed Sam his binoculars back.

"Alright, let's get out of here. We'll call Travis when we get back to the motel room."

* * *

When they got back to the motel room, Amy got herself ready for bed as Sam called Travis on his cell phone. She was too tired to do much else, so she climbed into bed and set her head on the pillow, quickly falling asleep.

* * *

**September 27th, 2008 - Rainbow Trout Motel**

The next morning, Amy was awoken by a pillow being thrown on her face.

"Get up," Dean told Amy as she groggily sat up. "We're going to the diner down the street for breakfast."

Amy yawned as she stretched her arms. "Okay. Just let me get dressed."

* * *

Five minutes later, Amy followed Sam and Dean out of the motel room and down the street to the nearby diner. She yawned as they sat down at a vacant booth, resting her chin on her hand as she struggled to keep her eyes open.

"How much sleep did you get last night?" Dean asked.

"Uh," Amy said as she thought for a moment. "I don't know, really. I had a hard time getting to sleep."

They ordered and ate their breakfast. Before long, they were back on their way to the motel room.

* * *

Amy followed behind as Sam and Dean led her back up to their room, nearly colliding with Sam as he stopped in the doorway.

"Travis," Amy heard Sam say.

"See, Sam. Told you we should have hid the beer," Dean said.

Amy peered around Sam to see a balding man with a cast on one arm get up from the table and walk over to them.

"Smartass," the man said with a laugh. "Get over here." He pulled Dean into a hug.

"Ahh, good to see you," the man said when they broke apart.

"You too," Dean replied.

The man looked over at Sam, pulling him into a hug as well. "Good to see you."

Sam smiled. "You too, Travis."

Travis and Sam broke apart, and Travis looked Sam up and down. "Man, you got tall, kid," he observed. "How long has it been?"

"Ah, gotta be 10 years," Sam said.

"You still a," Travis thought for a moment, "oh, what was it... a mathlete?"

Sam scoffed. "No."

"Yep, sure is," Dean said at the same time.

Amy let out a small laugh, alerting Travis to her presence.

"Whoa, who's the kid?" Travis asked.

Sam moved to the side so Amy could enter the room. "Travis, this is Amy," he said. "She's family."

Amy waved. "Hey there," she said.

"You a hunter?" Travis asked.

Amy nodded.

"Alright then." Travis turned and walked back into the room as the others followed him in. "Been too long, boys. I mean, look at you. Grown men. John would have been damn proud of you. Sticking together like this."

Dean slapped Sam on the back. "Yeah. Yeah, we're as thick as thieves." He looked over at Sam, whose smile was fading. "Nothing more important than family."

"Sorry I'm late for the dance," Travis said as he sat back down on the table while Sam, Dean, and Amy sat on the bed across from him.

"Thanks for helping out an old man," Travis continued. He pointed to the cast on his arm. "I'm a little, uh, shorthanded."

That last sentence brought a laugh from the other hunters in the room.

"So, you track down Montgomery?" Travis asked.

Sam shifted a little on the bed. "Yeah, we found him at his home."

"And?"

"Well, he had a hell of a case of the munchies," Dean recalled, "topped off with a burger he forgot to cook."

"That's him alright," Travis confirmed.

"What's him?" Dean asked.

"Boys, we got a rougarou on our hands," Travis announced.

"Oh, I've heard of those," Amy recalled.

"A rougarou?" Dean asked. He looked over at Sam. "Is that made up?" He looked back at Travis before Sam could answer. "That sounds made up."

"They're mean, nasty little suckers," Travis told them. "Rotted teeth, wormy skin, the works."

"Well, that ain't this guy," Dean said. "I mean, he was wearing a cellphone on his belt."

"If I remember correctly, rougarous start out human, right?" Amy asked.

Travis nodded. "For all intents and purposes. You ever hunt one before?"

Amy shook her head. "No, but I've heard enough about them."

"So, what?" Sam asked "They go through some kind of metamorphosis?"

Travis nodded. "Yep, like a maggot turning into a bull-fly. But most of all they're hungry."

"Hungry for what?" Dean asked.

"At first, for everything, but then," Travis paused briefly, "for long pig."

"Long pig?" Dean asked.

"Human flesh," Sam and Amy replied simultaneously.

"And that is my word of the day," Dean said pointedly.

"Hunger grows in," Travis continued, "'til they can't fight it. Til they got to take themselves a big, juicy chomp, and then it happens."

"What happens?" Sam asked.

"They transform completely and fast," Travis replied. "One bite's all it takes. Eyes, teeth, skin; all turns. No going back either. They feed once, they're a monster forever. And our man Jack's headed there on a bullet train."

"Well, how'd you find this guy if he's a walking, talking human?" Dean asked.

"Lets just say it runs in his family."

You mean, uh..." Sam trailed off.

Travis nodded. "Killed his daddy back in '78. Son of a bitch mangled eight bodies before I put him down. Guy used to be a dentist. Cadillac, trophy wife... Little did I know, pregnant trophy wife. She put the boy up for adoption. By the time I found out, he was long gone, lost in the system."

"You mean to tell me you couldn't find someone?" Sam asked, chuckling slightly.

Travis sighed. "I'm not sure I wanted to. The idea of hunting down some poor kid... I don't think I'd have the heart. No. I wanted to wait, make damn sure I had the right man. Apparently, I do." He finished by taking a swig of his beer.

"So how do we kill one of these things?" Dean asked.

"Fire," Amy replied, "like Wendigos."

"I've got supplies back at my place," Travis said, standing up. "I'll go ahead and bring them back so we can get everything set up. I'll be back in twenty minutes or so."

As soon as Travis left, Amy flung herself onto her back. "So, now what?"

"I guess now we just wait for Travis to get back," Sam replied. "I'll be back in a bit." Without another word, the youngest Winchester left the room.

Amy sighed out of boredom as she started slowly spinning a pen around in mid-air. "Cool."

* * *

Twenty minutes later, Travis returned with a duffle bag. Amy watched as he laid out everything they would need.

"Flamethrowers?" Amy asked, picking up a propane tank.

"Yep." Dean nodded. "Propane tank plus pipe plus lighter equals one barbaqued Rougarou."

"Neat," Amy said, picking up what she needed to make her own flamethrower.

"So fire, huh?" Dean asked as he picked up a few components.

"The only way I found to kill these bastards," Travis said, "deep-fry 'em."

"Well, that's gonna be..." Dean trailed off slightly, "horrible. Is that what you did to Jack's dad?"

Travis nodded. "Uh-huh."

The door opened and Sam walked back into the room, papers in hand. "Not wasting any time, are you?" He asked as he closed the door and

"None to waste," Travis said with a shrug. "The guy hulks out, we won't be finding bodies, just remains."

Sam sat down at the table. "What if he doesn't hulk out?" At Travis's questioning look, he continued. "I did a little homework. Uh, I've been checking out the lore on rougarous."

"What? My thirty years of experience not good enough for you?" Travis asked, a little offended.

"What? No. No, I-I- I just wanted to be prepared," Sam said quickly. "I mean, not that you didn't."

"Sam loves research," Dean cut in. "He does. He keeps it under his mattress right next to his KY. It's a sickness." He looked over at Sam, who was glaring at him. "It is."

"Look, everything you said checked out, of course, but uh," Sam began to flip through the papers he had brought in, "I found a couple of interesting stories about people who have this rougarou gene or whatever. See, they start to turn, but they never take the final step."

"Really?" Dean asked, now interested.

"See, if they never eat human flesh, they don't fully transform," Sam continued.

"So what? Go vegan, stay human?" Dean asked.

"Basically," Sam said with a nod. "Or in this case, eat a lot of raw meat, just not..."

"Long pig," Dean and Amy said simultaneously.

"Right."

Dean smiled a little at that.

"Good on you for the due diligence, Sam," Travis said as he stood up. "But those are fairy tales." He walked over to the pantry and poured himself a cup of coffee. "Fact is, every rougarou I ever saw or heard of... took that bite."

"Okay, well, that doesn't mean that Jack will," Sam argued, standing up. Seeing this, Dean stood up as well.

"So what do we do?" Travis asked. "Sit and hope and wait for a body count?"

"No, we talk to him," Sam suggested. "Explain what's happening. That way he can fight it."

"Fight it?" Travis gave a slight laugh. "Are you kidding me? You ever been really hungry? I mean, haven't-eaten-in-days hungry?"

"Yeah," Dean answered.

Travis nodded. "Yeah. Right then. So somebody slaps a big, juicy sirloin in front of you, you walking away?"

Dean looked thoughtful for a second before giving a look which Amy took as "no."

"That's what we are to him now, meat on legs." Travis shook his head. "I'm sorry. I'm sure he's a stand-up guy, but it's pure, base instinct. Everything in nature's gotta eat. You think he can stop himself 'cause he's nice?"

"I don't know," Sam said firmly. "But we're not gonna kill him unless he does something to get killed for."

Silence filled the room as Sam took a few deep breaths before walking back out.

"What's up with your brother?" Travis asked.

"Don't get me started," Dean replied as he watched the door.

"Something up between you two," Travis asked.

"It's complicated," Dean replied, taking a swig of beer.

A moment later, the door reopened. "Amy, Dean, let's get going."

"Where are we going?" Amy asked.

"We're gonna go talk to Jack," Sam replied.

"Seriously?" Travis asked. "That's not gonna work."

"Maybe it won't, maybe it will," Sam said sternly. "But we won't know if we don't try."

Casting a quick glance at Dean, Amy clambered off the bed and followed the Winchester brothers out of the motel room.

* * *

They drove towards Jack's house in silence. Finally, after what seemed like forever, it was broken by Dean.

"All right, so we're gonna go have a little chat with this guy which, you know... I'm down." He looked over at Sam, who was staring straight out the front windshield. "But I just want to make sure, if push comes, you're gonna shove."

Sam finally looked over at his brother. "Meaning?"

"Well, odds are we're gonna have to burn this guy alive."

"This guy has a name and a wife," Sam spat.

"Yeah, who we're probably gonna make a widow, okay?" Dean acknowledged. "I mean, you heard Travis. He's gonna turn. They always turn."

"Well, maybe he won't. Maybe he can fight it off," Sam argued, his voice growing louder.

"And maybe he can't, that's all I'm saying," Dean argued back.

"All right," Sam huffed, "we'll just have to see then, okay?"

Dean cast a glance at his brother and scoffed. "This is what I mean, Sam. You sure your emotions aren't getting in the way here?"

"What are you talking about?" Sam asked.

'Don't say it Dean,' Amy thought. 'Don't say it.'

"You know, nice dude, but he's got something evil inside. Something in his blood." Dean looked over at Sam. "Maybe you can relate."

Sam's face started to grow red with anger. "Stop the car," he hissed.

"What?" Dean asked.

"Stop the car or I will!" Sam shouted angrily.

Dean acknowledged, pulling the Impala onto the side of the road. Sam got out before the car had even stopped. Pulling the keys out of the ignition, Dean got out as well, walking around to the passenger side.

"You want to know why I've been lying to you, Dean?" Sam asked as he slammed his door closed and turned to face his brother. "Because of crap like this."

Their voices were muffled slightly and Amy had to strain to make out much of what they were saying.

"Like what?" Dean asked.

"The way you talk to me, the way you look at me like I'm a freak!" Sam yelled.

"I do not," Dean denied as Sam walked past him.

"You know, or even worse, like I'm an idiot!" Sam snapped, spinning back around to face Dean again. He took a few steps forward, getting in Dean's face. "Like I don't know the difference between right and wrong!"

Sam turned his back to Dean and took a few steps away. Finally stopping, he turned back to Dean, who had been watching him, not saying a word. When Sam turned to face him again, Dean averted his gaze downward.

"What?" Sam questioned.

Dean looked back up. "Do you know the difference, Sam?" he asked angrily, almost too quiet for Amy to hear. "I mean, you've been kind of strolling a dark road lately."

"You have no idea what I'm going through," Sam yelled. "None."

"Then enlighten me!" Dean snapped.

"I've got demon blood in me, Dean!" Sam shouted, throwing his hands up. "This disease pumping through my veins, and I can't ever rip it out or scrub it clean! I'm a whole new level of freak! And I'm just trying to take this - this curse... and make something good out of it. Because I have to." He dropped his gaze to the ground.

"Let's just go talk to the guy," Dean replied after a few seconds.

Sam scoffed.

"I mean Jack. Okay?" Dean added.

After a moment, Sam gave a small nod and the two of them got back into the car. Dean started the engine back up and they took off back down the road.

* * *

The rest of the drive was almost completely silent but it was obvious that Sam and Dean were still angry. Dean would brake harshly and Sam glared out the window the entire drive. Before too long, they arrived at the Montgomery residence.

Jack could be seen in the backyard, so Dean led Amy and Sam to the gate, opening it up to let them through. Jack was standing in front of a flower patch, holding a hose still as water flooded around his feet.

"Maybe you should take this," Dean told Amy.

"Me?" Amy asked. "Why?"

"Because you seem to know more about these things than we do," Sam replied. "Maybe you'll have better luck explaining all of this to Jack."

"Um, okay, I guess," Amy said with uncertainty.

The three hunters began to approach the man. "Jack Montgomery?"

Jack didn't reply and Sam continued.

"I'm Sam Winchester. This is my brother; Dean. And this is Amy."

Jack finally seemed to acknowledge their existence as he turned to face them.

"We need to talk."

Jack looked at Sam, then at Dean, and finally to Amy. He turned back to Sam. "About?"

"About you. About how you're changing," Sam replied.

"Excuse me?" Jack asked, a little offended.

Dean nudged Amy. "You're up, kiddo."

Amy sighed. "Okay. Jack, have you noticed lately that you're hungry. Like, really really hungry? Hungry for just about anything you can get your hands on. Even things like raw meat?"

"Who the hell are you guys?" Jack asked.

"We're people who know a little something about something," Dean answered.

"We're people who can help. Please, just hear us out," Sam pleaded.

"There are things out there," Amy began, "that aren't exactly human. Monsters, supernatural creatures. One of these things is something called a rougarou."

"A-a what?" Jack asked, flabbergasted.

"A rougarou," Dean repeated. "Sounds made-up, I know, but believe me, it's not."

"They start out looking human," Amy continued. "But then, somewhere along the line, they start to go through a sort of metamorphosis. You might have noticed your bones start to shift under your skin or your appetite reach some really high levels?"

"Alright, I've noticed certain things," Jack acknowledged. "I mean, some strange things. But I just, I-I don't know. I'm.. I'm sick or something."

"Your father was one of these things," Sam informed the man.

At this, Jack turned around to face Sam.

"Your real father," Sam continued. "He passed it on to you."

Jack shook his head. "No. Are-are you guys listening to yourselves? You s-sound like you're-"

"Crazy, yeah, we know," Amy interrupted.

"You're hungry, Jack," Dean replied. "You're only gonna get hungrier."

"Hungrier for?"

"Long pig," Dean said, smiling at his new knowledge of the word. "You know, a little man burger helper, may have crossed your mind already."

Jack shook his head. "No."

"It doesn't have to be like this, Jack," Sam said. "You can fight it off."

"No," Jack repeated.

"Others have."

"We're not gonna lie to you, though," Dean added. "It's not gonna be easy. You're gonna feel like an alcoholic swimming around in whiskey. But I'm telling you. You gotta say no... or-"

"Or what?" Jack asked, cutting Dean off.

"You feed once, and it's all over," Sam said. "And then we'll have to stop you."

"Stop me?" Jack repeated. "My dad, did uh, somebody stop him?"

"Yes," Sam admitted.

Jack began glaring daggers at the hunters. "Get off my property right now," he ordered, pointing at the gate. "I see you guys again, I'm calling the cops."

"Jack, your wife, everybody you know, they're in danger," Sam pleaded.

"Now!" Jack shouted.

Jack's neighbor, who had been cutting a bush, looked over at the sound of Jack's outburst. Sam waved meekly at him before leading Amy and Dean out of the backyard.

"Good talk," Dean muttered as they walked back to the car.

"I just wish I could have done more to help," Amy admitted sadly.

"No, no, you did everything you could have," Sam assured her.

"So, now what?" Amy asked.

"Now we wait," Dean replied. "Keep an eye on Jack, make sure he doesn't help himself to a little man burger."

* * *

Later that night, the three hunters were staked out in the Impala. They had been following Jack around all evening, finally catching up to him across the street from an apartment complex. They sat in the car, watching Jack as he sat on a bench across the street from them, listening to something on his phone.

Jack hung up his phone and put it into his pocket. He looked up at the apartment complex across the street, where a woman was standing near a window with open curtains. Jack stared at the woman for a moment, before sprinting across the street towards the building.

"Damn it. Jack. No," Sam hissed as Jack sprinted across the street.

Sam, Dean, and Amy all hopped out of the car, grabbing their flamethrowers.

"Come on," Dean said as he led them across the street.

The three hunters quickly ran into the apartment building after Jack. Sam led them up the stairs as them to the apartment Jack had run towards. Amy stood behind them as the Winchesters kicked the door down and ran inside.

Instead of Jack, they instead met the woman who was entering the living room just as the door was kicked down.

"Wait!" Dean yelled as the woman screamed and backed out of the room.

The woman slammed the door to her bedroom closed as Dean looked around, confused. "Whoa, uh, we're here to save you, I guess."

"I'm calling the police!" the woman yelled through the door.

"We should go," Sam said nervously.

"Yeah," Dean agreed.

They quickly hurried out, closing the door on the way out.

* * *

"Well, that went well," Amy said as they made their way back to the car.

"Yeah," Dean agreed. "But that begs the question," he opened the trunk of the Impala, "where's Jack?"

* * *

Dean drove them back to the motel, leading Sam and Amy up to the room.

"Hey Travis?" Sam called out as Dean opened the door.

The motel room was empty.

"Where'd he go?" Amy wondered aloud as she looked around the room.

"I've got a bad feeling about this," Sam said.

"Alright, everyone back in the car," Dean ordered.

Without another word, Sam and Amy followed Dean back to the Impala.

* * *

Dean sped down the street towards the Montgomery residence. He parked the Impala in front of the house, and everyone got out, flamethrowers in hand.

"I guess now we know where Travis is," Dean said, pointing to a car on the other side of the street.

"That stupid son of a bitch," Sam muttered as they began walking to the house.

The three hunters made their way up the porch steps. Dean slowly pushed the door open, leading Sam and Amy into the house. A chair was lying sideways on the floor in the living room.

"Oh god," Amy groaned as she looked down to see a huge pool of blood soaked up in the carpet.

A trail led from the pool of blood to behind the couch. Sharing a look, Sam, Dean, and Amy cautiously made their way to the back of the couch, following the trail. Behind the couch was a small piece of meat.

"Oh, God," Dean said in disgust. "Think that's Travis?"

Sam sighed. "What's left of him." He looked down, devastated. "Guess you were right about Jack."

Without any warning, Amy was suddenly pushed forward by Jack, who jumped him from behind.

"Amy!" Sam and Dean shouted as Jack and Amy slammed into the coffee table.

Amy groaned as she struggled to stay awake. Glass surrounded her around the floor and her head was pounding. She heard movement behind her and the clicking of a lighter, before a loud thud against the wall, then silence. Finally giving in, Amy collapsed, her vision going black.

* * *

"He didn't say."

That was the first thing Amy heard from Jack as she started to drift out of unconsciousness.

"I guess psychopaths don't have to explain themselves," Jack continued.

"Listen to me. You gotta believe me," Sam shouted. His voice sounded muffled, like he was in another room. Amy tried to move, but every part of her hurt too much to do so.

"Listen to us, Jack," Dean said, his voice also muffled.

"My brother and I, we never would have hurt her, okay?" Sam continued.

Amy shuddered slightly as Jack dipped a finger in a pool of blood near her head.

"Oh, God. I'm so hungry," Jack moaned.

"Jack, don't do this," Sam pleaded.

"I can't ever see my family again," Jack said. "You three... your friend. You made me into this!"

"No one's making you kill us," Sam said. "Listen to me."

Silence filled the room for a moment before Sam continued speaking.

"You got this dark pit inside you. I know. Believe me, I know. But that doesn't mean you have to fall into it. You don't have to be a monster.

Jack began to laugh. "Have you seen me lately?"

"It doesn't matter what you are," Sam told Jack. "It only matters what you do. It's your choice."

Jack began to grunt in pain. Amy felt a hand on her shoulder. She began to slowly turn around, just in time to see Jack's open mouth moving towards her. Just before his mouth reached her head, the closet door behind Jack slammed open.

"Jack!" Dean shouted.

Amy quickly backed away as Jack spun around to see Sam and Dean standing with flamethrowers in their hands. Jack sat there for a moment, staring at the brothers, before lunging at Sam. Amy quickly shielded her eyes as Sam flicked his lighter and held it up to the flamethrower, torching Jack to a crisp.

Amy groaned as the pain in her head began to catch up to her. She looked up at Sam, who looked defeated.

"Come on, kiddo," Dean said as he helped Amy up. "You okay?"

"My head is pounding," Amy replied, holding the back of her head.

Dean pushed her hair back. "We can get this cleaned up back at the motel room."

* * *

Sam followed behind as Dean helped Amy back out to the car. No one said much as they tossed the flamethrowers into the trunk and got into the car.

Amy climbed into the back seat, resting her head on the window.

"Hey, try to stay awake until we get to the motel room, okay?" Dean asked as Amy began to close her eyes.

"But I'm tired," Amy said sleepily.

"I know," Dean said with a nod. "But we need you to keep your eyes open, alright?"

Amy sighed. "I'll try."

Dean looked over at his brother. "You did the right thing, you know," he said. "That guy was a monster, there was no going back."

Sam lowered his head, not responding to his brother.

"Sam, I wanna tell you, I'm sorry," Dean began. "I've been kind of hard on you lately."

Sam lifted his head up, looking almost broken. "Don't worry about it, Dean."

"It's just that your, uh, your psychic thing, it scares the crap out of me," Dean admitted.

"Look, if it's all the same," Sam said, cutting Dean off. "I'd really rather not talk about it."

A small smile played out over Dean's lips. "Wait a minute. What? You don't want to talk? You?" he joked.

Sam didn't smile back. "There's nothing more to say," he said with a shrug. "I can't keep explaining myself to you. I can't make you understand."

"Why don't you try?" Dean urged.

Sam sighed. "I can't. Because this thing, this blood, it's not in you the way it's in me. It's just something I got to deal with."

"Not alone," Dean said.

Sam sighed as he looked out the window. He was silent for a moment before replying. "Anyway, it doesn't matter. These powers... it's playing with fire. I'm done with them."

Dean looked over at that.

"I'm done with everything," Sam continued.

"Really?" Dean asked, almost hopeful.

Sam stared out the window, now replying.

"Well, that's a relief," Dean said as he turned back to the road. "Thank you."

Sam scoffed as he turned to face Dean. "Don't thank me. I'm not doing it for you. Or for the angels or for anybody. This is my choice," he said firmly.

* * *

Dean drove them back to the motel, helping Amy up the stairs to the room. Sam promptly collapsed on the bed the moment they walked through the door.

"Alright, stay there," Dean said as he sat Amy on the bed. "Does your head still hurt?"

"A little," Amy replied, "but not as much."

"Alright, that's good," Dean said. "Hold on, I'll get something to clean up that wound."

Dean disappeared into the bathroom, reemerging a moment later with a first-aid kit. He opened it up, taking out a gauze pad.

"Hold this on the wound," he instructed.

Amy obliged, holding the gauze to the bleeding wound.

"Alright, hold that there for a few minutes and then we'll check on it," Dean told her. He looked over at Sam, who had fallen asleep on the bed, watching him for a few minutes.

Dean cleaned Amy's head wound up. It wasn't bad enough to need stitches, so he only needed to clean the blood up and make sure it actually stopped bleeding.

"That should be good," Dean said after he was finished. "How you feeling?"

"Fine," Amy replied.

"Good," Dean said with a nod. "Get some sleep, then. We'll head out of here in the morning."

Amy yawned. "Sure thing, Dean-o."

After changing out of her jeans and t-shirt and into something more comfortable, Amy climbed into her bed, lying her head down on the pillow and finally drifting off to sleep.


	16. Yellow Fever

**October 20th, 2008 - Rock Ridge, Colorado**

Amy sighed as she sat in the back seat of the Impala, waiting for Sam and Dean to come out of the morgue. They had gotten word a couple days ago about a man who had suddenly dropped dead of a heart attack and had decided to go check it out. Sam and Dean had told Amy to stay in the car, since having three FBI agents show up probably wasn't the best idea.

Twenty minutes after they had gone inside, Amy saw Sam and Dean emerge from the morgue.

"So what have we got?" Amy asked as Sam and Dean got back into the car.

"Guy named Frank O' Brien," Sam informed her, handing her a stack of papers. "Died of a heart attack."

Amy looked at Sam. "Heart attack? That doesn't exactly sound like our kind of thing."

"Well, not at first," Dean agreed, "but this guy plus two others dropped dead unexpectedly. All of them were completely healthy before that."

"Okay..." Amy said, starting to understand.

"Sheriff in town was friends with O'Brien," Dean continued. "Sammy and I will talk to him, figure out anything we can. You wanna go back to the motel or wait in the car again?"

"I'll wait in the car," Amy decided. "It shouldn't take too long anyways."

Dean nodded before starting the engine and driving off towards the sheriff's office.

* * *

Amy sat, once again, waiting for Sam and Dean to come out of the building. She leaned back against the window, watching the cars drive by before the sound of a group of teenagers talking on the sidewalk behind her distracted her. Finally, she spotted them, talking amongst themselves as they walked towards the Impala. Before they got to the Impala, however, Dea pointed at the teenagers, then in a different direction, walking away from the car and leaving a very confused Amy to watch them leave.

Amy pulled out her phone, dialing Sam's number.

"Yeah?" Sam asked as he answered the phone.

"You're going the wrong way," Amy said matter-of-factly. "Where are you guys going?"

"I'm not sure," Sam said. "Dean said something about not liking the teenagers near the Impala and wanted to get away from them or something?"

This only confused Amy even more. "Okay? That's weird."

Sam scoffed. "Yeah," he agreed. "Listen, just hang tight. We'll head back around as soon as I can talk some sense into Dean, here."

"Alright," Amy said before hanging up the phone.

Ten minutes later, Sam and Dean finally began walking back across the street, towards the car. As they got closer to the Impala and the teenagers, Dean got evidently more nervous. He didn't take his eyes off of them as they opened the doors and got in.

"What was that all about?" Amy asked as Sam and Dean got into the front seat.

"Don't ask," Dean said simply.

Amy turned to Sam, hoping for a response, but only got a mere shrug.

"Alright, well, I know I'm not sitting in the car again when you go to question the next guy. I'm either going with or back to the motel."

"It probably wouldn't hurt for you to come with," Sam agreed.

"Oh thank god," Amy said as she leaned back against her seat.

Dean drove them to Mark Hutchins' house. When they arrived, Amy got out of the Impala with them, and Sam handed her her fake FBI badge that said Agent Kramer on it.

Once everyone was ready, Dean led them up to the front door and rang the doorbell. A moment later, the door opened and a man emerged.

"Yes?" the man asked.

"Mark Hutchins?" Sam asked. The man nodded. "Agents Tyler, Perry, and Kramer," Sam continued as they flashed their badges. "We're looking into the death of Frank O'Brien. Mind if we ask you a few questions?"

"Uh, no, not at all," Mark said, shaking his head. "Come on in." He opened the door for them, stepping aside as they walked into the house.

"Cool snake," Amy said with a smile as she pointed to the boa constrictor around Mark's neck.

"You like snakes?"

Amy nodded. "Oh yeah. Snakes, spiders, etcetera. I found a tarantula when I was little. Wanted to keep it as a pet."

Mark let out a hearty laugh as he led them further into the house.

"Tyler, Perry, and Kramer," Mark said with amusement as he led them into the main room. "Just like Aerosmith." The room Mark had led them to was filled with glass cages containing lizards and snakes.

"Yeah, small world," Sam chuckled as they sat down on a couch. "So, the last time you saw Frank O'Brien?"

Mark sat down in a chair across from them. "Monday, he was watching me from his window," he explained. "I waved at him, but he just closed the curtains."

"Hmm. Did you speak to him recently?" Sam continued. "Did he seem different? Uh, scared?"

"Oh, totally," Mark said with a laugh. "He was freaking out."

Sam and Amy exchanged a glance, before looking at Dean, who also looked freaked ou.

"Do you know, uh..do you know what scared him?" Dean asked nervously.

"Well, yeah, witches," Mark said, as if it was the most obvious thing ever.

"Witches?" Sam asked. "Like...?"

"Well, "Wizard of Oz" was on TV the other night, right?" Mark explained. "And he said that green bitch was totally out to get him."

"Was there anything else that scared him?" Amy asked.

"Everything else scared him," Mark explained. "Al-Qaeda, ferrets, artificial sweetener. Those pez dispensers with their dead little eyes. Lots of stuff."

"So, tell me. What was Frank like?" Sam asked.

"I mean, he's dead, you know?" Mark replied, slightly nervous. "I-I don't want to hammer him but, he got better."

"He got better?" Sam questioned.

"Well, in high school he was, he was a dick," Mark admitted.

"A dick?" Sam repeated.

Mark nodded. "Like a bully. I mean, he probably taped half the town's butt cheeks together," Mark glared at Dean as the hunter snickered before continuing, "Mine included."

"So he pissed a lot of people off," Dean said, straightening up. "You think anyone would have wanted to get revenge?"

"Well, I don't," Mark began before looking at them, confused. "Frank had a heart attack, right?"

"Just answer the question, sir,"

Mark shook his head. "No, I don't think so. Like I said, he got better," he repeated. "And after what happened to his wife."

"His wife?" Dean asked. "So he was married."

Mark nodded. "She died about twenty years ago. Frank was really broken up about it." He smirked, seeing Dean stare at the boa around his neck. "Don't be scared of Donny. He's a sweetheart. It's Marie you got to look out for." Mark nodded to the couch and Amy turned to see an albino snake creeping up from behind the couch towards Dean. "She smells fear."

Dean smiled nervously as the snake began to crawl down his lap.

"Cool," Amy said with a smile as she watched the snake slither around.

* * *

Later that night, Amy joined Sam in searching Frank's house while Dean went to the county clerk's office to do some digging on Frank's wife.

"Well, doesn't smell like there's any sulfur," Sam noticed as he opened the door to Frank's apartment. "Search around for any EMF. I'll look for hex bags."

"Does Dean seem a bit off to you today?" Amy asked as she waved her EMF meter around. "Like, a little jumpy?"

Sam nodded. "Yeah, he does. I'm sure it's just nerves or something." Sam chuckled nervously, but Amy could tell he thought something else was going on.

After searching the entire apartment, they came up clean, not finding a single hex bag or trace of EMF.

Sam sighed. "Come on, let's head back to the car."

Sam led Amy back to the car, where Dean was reading something in the front seat.

"Hey," Sam greeted as they got into the car. "Any luck at the county clerk's office?"

Dean sighed. "I'm not sure I'd call it luck. Frank's wife, Jessie, was a manic-depressive. She went off her meds back in '88 and vanished," he explained. "They found her two weeks later, three towns over. Strung up in her motel room, suicide."

"Any chance Frank helped her along to the other side?" Sam asked.

Dean shook his head. "No, Frank was working the swing shift when she disappeared. Airtight alibi." He started the Impala and began driving through town. "How was Frank's pad?"

"Nada," Amy said.

"Searched it top to bottom," Sam added. "No EMF, no hex bags, no sulfur."

"So probably no ghosts, no witches, no demons," Dean listed off.

Sam scoffed.

"Three down and ninety-seven to go."

"Yeah." Sam leaned over, looking at the speedometer. "Dude, you're going twenty."

"And?" Dean questioned.

"That's the speed limit," Sam said pointedly.

"What? Safety's a crime now?" Dean asked. He drove through the intersection, past their hotel.

"Uh..." Amy said, pointing to the hotel as they drove past.

"Dude, where are you going?" Sam asked. "That was our hotel."

"Sam, I'm not gonna make a left-hand turn into oncoming traffic. I'm not suicidal," Dea blurted out. He looked confused by his own statement. "Did I just say that? That was kind of weird."

The EMF meter suddenly started going off in the duffle bag next to Amy.

"Do you hear something?" Sam asked.

Amy dug the meter out of the bag to find it loudly going off. She handed it to Sam, who moved it to and from Dean. As the meter got closer to Dean, the noise got louder and louder.

"Am I haunted?" Dean asked nervously. "Am I haunted?!"

* * *

**Blue Bird Hotel**

Dean finally drove them back to the motel, where they got out and headed up to their room on the fourth floor.

"Okay, what the hell, man?" Dean asked as they entered the room. "Am I haunted or what?"

"I don't know," Sam replied, "maybe." He looked over at Amy, who shrugged.

"I don't know, either," Amy said, "but I'm sure we can figure this out."

"I'll call Bobby in the morning, see if he can shed some light on the subject. Just, try to get some sleep for now. We'll figure this out in the morning."

* * *

**October 21st, 2008**

The next morning, Sam and Amy went out to get breakfast, leaving Dean alone in the motel room.

"You think he's gonna be okay?" Amy asked.

"Yeah," Sam said with uncertainty. "He'll be fine."

"If you say so," Amy said as she followed Sam down the sidewalk.

Sam bought a small box of donuts for breakfast. As they walked back to the hotel, he called Bobby on his cell.

"Hey, Bobby," Sam greeted into his phone. There was a pause. "Yeah, we're doing alright. Hey, listen we're working this case and could use your help with something."

Another pause.

"Yeah, she's here. Hold on, I'll put you on speaker."

Sam put his cell on speaker, holding it so Amy could listen in.

"Hey, Bobby," Amy said into the phone.

"Hey, kid," Bobby's voice came from the speaker. "Alright, so what's going on?"

"You know that guy Frank O'Brien?" Sam asked.

"The guy who dropped dead of a heart attack?" Bobby asked. "Yeah, why?"

"Well, it turns out, right before he died, he was pretty freaked out."

"Over just about everything," Amy added.

"Okay..." Bobby said, trailing off.

"And now the same thing is happening to Dean," Amy continued.

"What do you mean, the same thing is happening to Dean?"

"Exactly that, Bobby," Sam said. "Yesterday, after we talked to the sheriff, he wouldn't go towards the Impala when there were a group of teenagers near it."

"And last night, he actually drove the speed limit and refused to 'turn left onto oncoming traffic' towards our motel room," Amy added.

"And then the EMF meter started going crazy around him," Sam finished.

"Well, if I didn't know any better," Bobby spoke, "that sounds like ghost sickness."

"Ghost sickness?" Sam and Amy asked.

"Well, there are some cultures out there who believe that certain spirits can infect the living with a disease."

"But we haven't seen a ghost in weeks," Amy pointed out.

"Ghost sickness can be spread just like your common cold through patient zero," Bobby replied. "Symptoms include anxiousness, then a lot of fear until it's too much for your heart to handle."

"Wait, so, then how come Sam and I weren't infected?" Amy asked.

"Well, I've been looking into O'Brien as well," Bobby said. "Turns out Frank was at a softball tournament over the weekend with two other guys. Called themselves the Cornjerkers."

"Anything about these guys stick out?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, all three of them were dicks," Bobby said matter-of-factly.

Sam and Amy exchanged a glance. "What?" Sam asked.

"Well, Frank was a bully, back in the day."

"Yeah," Amy said with a nod.

"And the other two guys, one was a vice principal and the other was a bouncer."

"They used fear to scare people," Amy realized.

"How long does he have then?" Sam asked.

"About forty-eight hours from the time of infection," Bobby explained.

As they got closer to the Impala, the faint sound of Eye of the Tiger could be heard playing over the speakers.

"Okay, thanks, Bobby," Sam said as they approached the car. "We'll call you if we need anything else."

Sam hung up the phone and led Amy over to the Impala. As they got closer, Amy could see Dean lying on the front seat, air drumming to the music. Sam banged on the top of the roof, scaring Dean, who turned off the car.

Dean got out of the car, looking around as he rolled up his sleeve. "Dude. Look at this," he said as he showed them a bunch of small scratches on his arm.

"We just talked to Bobby," Sam said as he handed the box of donuts to Dean.

Dean took the box of donuts and, after sniffing the box, tossed it into the car. "And?"

Sam looked at the box of donuts, confused. "Um, well, you're not gonna like it."

"What?" Dean asked.

"Bobby says it's ghost sickness," Amy explained.

"Ghost sickness?" Dean repeated.

Sam nodded. "Yeah."

"God, no," Dean complained.

"Yeah," Sam repeated.

"I don't even know what that is," Dean stated.

"Okay. Some cultures believe that certain spirits can infect the living with a disease, which is why they stopped displaying bodies in houses and started taking them off to funeral homes," Sam explained.

"Okay, get to the good stuff," Dean urged.

"Symptoms are you get anxious," Sam began.

Dean nodded. "Yeah."

"And then you start getting scared," Amy continued. "Until your so scared your heart can't handle it anymore."

"Sound familiar?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, but Sam, we haven't seen a ghost in weeks," Dean pointed out.

"Well, I doubt you caught it from a ghost," Sam said. "Look, once a spirit infects that first person, Ghost sickness can spread like any sickness through a cough, a handshake, whatever. It's like the flu. Now, Frank O'Brien was the first to die, which means he was probably the first infected. Patient zero."

"Our very own outbreak monkey," Dean realized.

Sam nodded. "Right. Get this, Frank was in Maumee over the weekend. Softball tournament. Which is where he must have infected the other two victims."

"Were they gamecocks?" Dean asked.

"Cornjerkers," Sam corrected.

"So, ghosts infected Frank," Dean realized. "He passed it onto the other guys and I got it from his corpse?"

"Right," Sam confirmed.

"So now what, I have forty-eight hours before I go insane and my heart stops?"

"More like twenty-four," Sam corrected.

"Chances are, you got infected at the morgue," Amy added.

Dean scoffed. "Super."

"Yeah."

"Well, why me? Why not you?" Dean asked. "I mean, you got hit with the spleen juice."

"Gross," Amy muttered.

"Yeah, um, you see we have a theory about that too," Sam explained. "Turns out all three victims shared a certain, uh, personality type. Frank was a bully. The other two victims, one was a vice principal, the other was a bouncer."

"Okay," Dean said, not quite getting the point.

"Basically, they were all dicks," Sam concluded.

"So you're saying I'm a dick?" Dean asked, slightly offended.

"No, no, no," Sam said. "It's not just that. All three victims used fear as a weapon, and now this disease is just returning the favor."

Dean scoffed. "I don't scare people."

"Dean, all we do is scare people."

"Okay, well then, you're a dick too," Dean pointed out. "And so is Amy."

"Hey!" Amy cried out, offended by Dean's remark.

Sam let out a laugh. "Apparently, we're not."

"Besides, I wasn't even with you guys when you went to the morgue," Amy pointed out.

Dean rolled his eyes. "Whatever. How do we stop it?"

"We gank the ghost that started all this," Sam stated. "We do that, the disease should clear up."

"You thinking Frank's wife?" Dean asked.

Sam shrugged. "Who knows why she killed herself, you know?" He looked at the hotel behind him, before turning back to Dean. "Hey, what are you doing waiting out here, anyway?"

Dean pointed a finger up to the hotel. "Our room's on the fourth floor," he stated.

Sam shook his head.

"It's...it's high," Dean finished.

Sam scoffed. "I'll see if I can move us down to the first."

"Thanks."

Sam nodded. "Sure."

Amy leaned against the Impala as Sam went inside to move them to a lower floor and Dean climbed back into the Impala.

"Hey hand me that box of donuts?" Amy asked. Dean handed her the box and she took a glazed one out, taking a bite as she handed the box back to Dean.

* * *

A short while later, Sam walked back out of the hotel.

"Alright," Sam said as he handed Dean the room key, "we're on the first floor. You go relax in the room while Amy and I go dig up anything we can on Jessie O'Brien, okay?"

Dean nodded. "Yeah, sure. Piece of cake."

Sam nodded. "Okay, then." When Dean didn't move from the car, Sam added, "Dean, that means you need to get out of the car and walk to the room."

"Walk?" Dean asked, pointing across the parking lot. "Across there?"

Amy nodded. "Yes, Dean. Across there."

"But what if a car comes?"

"What if a - " Sam stopped himself mid sentence, exchanging a glance with Amy. "Dean, a car isn't going to come."

"You don't know that," Dean pointed out.

Sam sighed. "Okay. Amy, wait in the car," he said as he tossed Amy the car keys, "I'll be right back."

Sam led Dean across the street into the motel room as Amy started the engine and climbed into the passenger seat.

A moment later, Sam came back out, getting into the driver's side.

"We need to get this sorted out," Amy stated as Sam closed the car door. "ASAP."

"Yeah," Sam scoffed as he backed out of the parking space. "Ya think?"

* * *

Sam and Amy spent the next few hours digging up anything they could find on Jessie O'Brien. They soon learned that Jessie had been cremated, which ruled her out as the ghost haunting Dean.

"Alright, so if it's not Jessie?" Amy asked as they left the library, "then who the hell could it be?"

"Frank O'Brien had to have come in contact with a ghost some time before he died, right?" Sam asked.

Amy nodded. "Right."

"So we just need to figure out who that ghost was."

"Oh, yeah, that should be no problem. We've only got," Amy paused, checking an imaginary watch, "a day to find this ghost and it's not like there are hundreds or even thousands of them out there."

"We should find out where Frank worked," Sam stated. "Maybe that'll give us some clues."

* * *

Sam drove the Impala back to the hotel. Amy followed him into the room, where Dean was found sitting on the sofa, drinking a beer, while a broken clock lay on the floor.

"Everything all right?" Sam asked, looking at the broken clock.

"Oh,yeah," Dean said, chuckling nervously. "Just peachy. Find anything?"

Sam nodded. "Yeah, Jessie O'Brien's body was cremated, so I'm pretty sure she is not our ghost." He grabbed Dean's arm. "Hey, quit picking at that," he said, gesturing to the scratch marks Dean had been picking at. "How you feeling?"

"Awesome," Dean replied sarcastically. "It's nice to have my head on the chopping block again. I almost forgot what that feels like."

"Don't worry, Dean," Amy said, "we'll figure this out."

"Yeah," Sam agreed. "We'll keep looking."

Dean suddenly began to cough violently.

"Dean?" Amy asked, panic driven in her voice.

"You okay?" Sam asked, holding his brother as he bent forward. "Hey!"

Dean began to choke.

"Dean," Sam repeated. He quickly turned his brother away, leading him to the bathroom, with Amy following behind.

Dean coughed a few more times over the sink before spitting out a wood chip.

Sam picked up the woodchip, looking it over. "We've been completely ignoring the biggest clue we have, you," he told Dean.

"I don't want to be a clue," Dean

"The abrasions, this, the disease, it's trying to tell us something," Sam continued.

"Tell us what, wood chips?" Dean asked.

Sam nodded. "Exactly."

"The lumber mill," Amy realized.

"Let's go check it out," Sam said. He grabbed his brother by the shoulders. "You're coming with."

* * *

Sam drove the Impala to the local lumber mill with Dean in the passenger seat and Amy once again in the back. When they arrived, Dean got out, looking at the mill apprehensively.

"I'm not going in there," Dean stated.

"We might need you," Sam said. "You're going in, Dean."

Dean took a shot of whiskey and sighed. "Let's do this." He looked back up at the building. "It is a little spooky, isn't it?"

Amy got her shotgun out of the trunk as Sam handed one to Dean.

"Oh, I'm not carrying that," Dean said, looking at the gun. At Sam's look, he laughed nervously. "It could go off. I'll man the flashlight." He smiled, gripping the flashlight tightly.

Sam sighed. You do that."

"Let's go, scaredy cat," Amy said as she followed Sam and Dean into the mill.

Sam, Dean, and Amy made their way through the mill. With Dean around, though, the EMF meter began to go crazy.

"EMF's not gonna work with me around, is it?" Dean asked as Sam moved the EMF meter near him.

Sam rolled his eyes. "You don't say. Come on."

They continued moving further into the mill.

"Wait," Sam said, startling Dean as he pointed to a gold ring on the floor. "To Frank. Love, Jessie," he said as he read the inscription. "Frank O'Brien's ring."

"What the hell was Frank doing here?" Dean wondered.

"No idea," Sam said as he continued walking.

As they walked into a room full of lockers, a soft rustling noise could be heard from inside one of the lockers. Amy and Dean stood off to the side as Sam grabbed the handle to the locker, counting down from three, before yanking the door open.

As soon as Sam opened the door, a cat bolted out from the top shelf, startling Dean so much that he screamed for a good few seconds, before stopping to catch his breath.

"That was scary!" Dean exclaimed. Sam rolled his eyes and walked out of the room with Amy. "Wait," Dean called after them.

"Hey, what's that?" Amy asked, pointing to something that was half-buried in woodchips.

Sam picked it up, examining the I.D. Card as Dean caught up with them. "Luther Garland."

Dean pointed to a drawing on a nearby table. "Hey, this is uh...this is Frank's wife," he said, walking over.

"Plot thickens," Sam said as he walked over to the drawing.

"Yeah, but into what?" Dean asked.

Dean tore off the drawing and the machines around them suddenly turned on. Gun at the ready, Amy spun around to see a tall, bald, man in a workers uniform. She shot the ghost as Dean sprinted out of the mill.

"Hey!" Sam shouted at Dean. "Come on!"

Amy and Sam sprinted after Dean, out of the mill. They found Dean outside, hiding behind the Impala as he took another drink of his whiskey.

"Guess we got the right place," Sam said.

"Looks like it," Amy added. "You okay there, Dean?"

Dean took another shot of whiskey. "Oh yeah," he said. "Peachy."

"Alright well, hang in there," Sam said. "Let's head down to the sheriff's office and get the file on Luther."

* * *

Amy waited in the car, once more as Sam and a now-drunk Dean headed into the sheriff's office to get the file. Dean had finished the entire bottle of whiskey on the car ride to the office, leaving Sam to have to lead him inside.

Sam handed Amy the file as they got into the car and she immediately began flipping through it.

"Dean and I need to head down to the retirement home. If anyone knows anything about Luther's death, it'll be his brother," Sam said as Amy flipped through the file.

Amy sighed. "Okay. So, I guess I'll wait in the car then?"

"Yeah," Sam said. "Sorry about that. I know you've been with us long enough to go in for questioning with one of us, but having three FBI agents show up might raise suspicions."

"No, I get it," Amy said, handing Sam the file. "You guys talk to Mr. Garland. I'll wait in the car."

* * *

**Peaceful Pines Retirement Home**

Amy stood outside the Impala as she waited for Sam and Dean to come out of the retirement home, pulling her jacket tighter around her.

"Now we know what these are," Dean said, gesturing to the scratches on his arm as the door opened and he walked out with Sam, "road rash. And I'm guessing Luther swallowed some wood chips when he was being dragged down that road."

"Makes sense," Sam agreed. "You're experiencing his death in slow motion."

"What happened?" Amy asked.

"Turns out Frank killed Luther," Sam explained. "Dragged him up and down the lumber mill road."

"What the hell?" Amy asked.

"Alright," Dean said, clapping his hands together, "I say we burn some bones and get me healthy."

Sam scoffed. "Dean, it won't be that easy."

"No, no, it'll be that easy," Dean insisted. "Why wouldn't it be that easy?"

"If Luther was dragged up and down that road, he would have been ripped to pieces," Amy explained.

"He was probably scattered all over that road," Sam continued. "There's no way we're gonna find all the remains."

"You're kidding me," Dean said.

"Look, we'll just have to figure something else out," Sam insisted.

Dean scoffed. "You know what? Screw this."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Dean," Sam argued.

"Come on," Dean yelled. He turned back to Sam. "No, I mean, come on, Sam. What are we doing?!"

"We're hunting a ghost," Sam stated.

"A ghost, exactly!" Dean repeated. "Who does that?"

"Us."

"Us?" Dean asked. "Right. And that Sam, that is exactly why our lives suck. I mean, come on, we hunt monsters! What the hell?!" he shouted. "I mean, normal people, they see a monster, and they run. But not us, no, no, no, we - we search out things that want to kill us. Yeah? Huh? Or eat us! You know who does that? Crazy people!"

Amy walked up to Sam, standing by him as Dean continued ranting.

"We...are insane!" Dean continued, gesturing his finger to the three of them. "You know, and then there's the bad diner food and then the skeevy motel rooms and then the truck-stop waitress with the bizarre rash. I mean, who wants this life, Sam? Huh? Seriously? Do you actually like being stuck in a car with me eight hours a day, every single day?" Dean didn't give Sam time to answer before continuing. "I don't think so! I mean, I drive too fast. And I listen to the same five albums over and over and over again, a-and I sing along. I'm annoying, I know that. And you -you're gassy! You eat half a burrito, and you get toxic!"

Dean looked over at Amy. "And her?" he asked. "I mean what the hell were we thinking? She wakes up, or whatever in this world, knows practically everything about us and we just decide to make her a hunter?"

Amy opened her mouth to protest on Dean's statement, but closed it, ultimately deciding not to.

"What is wrong with us. I mean, you know what?" Dean sighed, tossing Dean the keys. "You can forget it."

Sam caught the keys. "Whoa, Dean. where are you going?"

"Stay away from me Sam, okay?" Dean asked as he walked away. "Cause I am done with it. I'm done with the monsters and - and - and the hellhounds and the ghost sickness and the damn apocalypse. I'm out. I'm done. Quit."

Amy sighed as Dean disappeared down the street. "Well, that went well."

* * *

Sam and Amy spent the next several hours driving around, looking for Dean, until finally finding him back in the motel room

"Amy and I looked everywhere for you, Dean," Sam said as Amy followed him into the motel room. "How the hell did you get here?"

"Ran," Dean stated as he took a drink of his beer. "What do we do now? I got less than four hours on the clock. I'm gonna die, Sammy."

Sam and Amy sat on the couch, Dean in between them.

"No, you're not Dean," Sam stated. "You're not going back."

"Back?" Dean asked, fear in his voice.

"We won't let anything happen to you, Dean," Amy assured the hunter. "Sam and I will figure this out, right? We have before."

Sam turned to Dean with a smile. Without warning, Dean suddenly grabbed Sam by the shoulders, pulling him backwards as he backed up against the wall.

"No! You get out of my brother, you evil son of a bitch!" Dean shouted, struggling against Sam.

"Dean, what the hell are you talking about?" Sam shouted. "No one's possessing me."

Amy jumped forward, trying to help Sam calm down Dean. "Dean?" she asked as Dean started choking. "Dean, hey!"

"Hey, hey, hey, Dean," Sam said, trying to get his brother back to reality. "Hey, Dean. Dean. Dean."

Dean finally seemed to snap out of it. He calmed down, looking up at Sam and Amy.

"Call Bobby," Sam instructed Amy. "Tell him to meet us at the mill."

Amy nodded, running off to grab her phone and call Bobby.

* * *

**October 22nd, 2008 - Lumber Mill**

Amy stood with Sam next to the Impala as they waited for Bobby to show up. Around six in the morning, a familiar car pulled up

"Howdy, Sam," Bobby greeted, getting out of his car. "Amy."

"Hi Bobby," Amy greeted back.

"Hey, Bobby," Sam said. "Thanks for coming so quick."

"Where's Dean?" Bobby asked.

"Uh, home sick," Sam stated.

"So, have his hallucinations started yet?" Bobby asked.

Sam nodded. "Yeah, a few hours ago."

"How we doing on time?" Bobby asked.

"We saw the coroner about 8:00 a.m. Monday morning," Sam recalled, "so, uh...just under two hours. What about you? You find anything?"

Bobby pulled out a book. "This uh, encyclopaedia of spirits dates to the Edo period." He handed the book to Sam. Amy looked at page, which was filled with Japanese characters.

"You can read Japanese?" Sam asked, looking at the text.

In response, Bobby said something in Japanese.

"Guess so," Sam said with a scoff, "show-off."

Amy rolled her eyes as Bobby continued. "Anyway, this book lists a kind of ghost that could be our guy." He pointed to a picture in the book. "It uh, infects people with fear. It's called a Buru Buru."

"It say how to kill it?" Sam asked.

"Same as usual," Bobby stated. "Burn the remains."

"Great," Amy muttered.

"Uh...is there a Plan B?" Sam asked.

"Well, the Buru Buru is born of fear," Bobby explained. "Hell, it is fear. And the lore says we can kill it with fear."

"Scare a ghost to death?" Amy asked.

Bobby nodded. "Pretty much."

"How the hell we gonna do that?" Sam asked.

"How did this Luther guy die?" Bobby asked.

"He was road hauled," Amy explained. "Dragged up and down the road behind a car, with a chain around his neck."

"Wait a minute," Sam said. "That might work."

"What, you wanna roadhaul a ghost?" Bobby asked.

"It could work," Sam said. "I'll call Dean, let him know we have a plan."

Before anyone could say anything, Sam walked away, pulling out his phone.

"Do we have a plan?" Amy asked.

"Sam seems to think so," Bobby replied.

A moment later, Sam came back to the car.

"This is a terrible plan," Bobby stated.

Sam scoffed. "Yeah, tell me about it."

"I know I said, "scare the ghost to death" but this?" Bobby asked.

"Hey, you got a better idea, I'm listening," Sam insisted.

"Okay, so, what are we gonna do?" Amy asked.

"Well, lucky for us, I've got an iron chain in the trunk of my car," Bobby explained. "I know a spell to enchant it so we should be able to get it around Luther's neck if we're lucky. You guys just gotta make him mad. I'll stay here with the car to... roadhaul the ghost."

"Okay," Sam said. He grabbed his shotgun, handing the other to Amy. "Let's go then."

Amy followed Sam into the mill. They walked through the small, office like room from earlier and the locker room, but Luther was nowhere to be seen.

"Any luck?" Bobby asked through the walkie talkie as they entered the room with machinery.

"I don't know what's wrong, Bobby." Sam said. "Last time he came right at us. It's almost like he's, uh," he scoffed, "like he's scared."

"Wait, no he didn't," Amy realized.

"What do you mean, kid?" Bobby asked.

"Last time we were here, Luther didn't come right at us," Amy explained. "It wasn't until," she paused, looking around until she spotted a drawing. "Until Dean tore one of the drawings." She grabbed a drawing, looking at Sam for confirmation.

Sam readied his shotgun. "Do it."

Amy tore the drawing off and the machinery whirred to life.

"Tear off another," Sam instructed.

Amy tore off another drawing and the machinery started moving faster.

"Come on, Luther!" Sam shouted. "Where the hell are you? What are you waiting for?"

Amy tore off another drawing as Sam turned back around to face her.

"Amy!" Sam shouted, panic in his voice as he pointed behind the young girl.

Amy spun around, just in time to see Luther before she was suddenly thrown back into the wall.

"Ow," Amy groaned as she stood up.

Sam was on the floor as he struggled with Luther's spirit, who had him pinned. She quickly ran up, grabbing the chain and throwing it around Luther's neck, wrapping it around.

"Bobby, punch it!" Sam shouted.

Outside, the sound of an engine revving could be heard. The chain began to move and a moment later, the doors were thrown open and Luther was dragged outside.

Sam and Amy ran outside to see Bobby speeding up the road, Luther's ghost behind him. Just before Bobby hit a wall, Luther's ghost disappeared, and Amy breathed a sigh of relief along with Sam.

Sam immediately pulled out his phone, calling Dean.

"Hey, Dean," Sam said into his phone. "How you feeling, man?" There was a pause. "Great, that - that's great." Another pause. "Okay, sure thing. I'll head down to the motel and get you, then." There was a final pause. "Okay. See you then."

Sam hung up and followed Amy over to Bobby.

"I cannot believe that worked," Bobby said as they approached.

"Yeah," Sam said with a slight laugh. "Me either. Hey listen, I'm gonna go pick Dean up from the hotel. See you guys in a bit." Without another word, he got into the Impala and drove off.

Amy sat on the trunk of Bobby's car as they waited for Sam to return.

"How you doing, kid?" Bobby asked.

Amy sighed. "Okay, I guess." She rubbed her sore back. "You know, for a ghost, Luther sure hits hard."

* * *

A short while later, Sam pulled up in the Impala with Dean.

."So you guys road-hauled a ghost with a chain?" Dean asked as he stepped out of the car.

"Iron chain etched with spell work," Sam explained.

Dean took a sip of his beer. "Hmm, that's a new one."

"But, hey, it worked," Amy reminded him.

"It was what he was most afraid of," Sam continued. "It was pretty brutal, though."

Dean let out a laugh. "On the upside, I'm still alive, so uh, go team!" he cheered, raising his beer.

"Yeah." Sam smiled. "How you feeling, by the way?"

Dean nodded. "Fine."

"You sure, Dean?" Bobby teased. "'Cause this line of work can get awful scary."

"I'm fine," Dean insisted. "You want to go hunting? I'll hunt. I'll kill anything."

"You hear that guys?" Amy asked, looking at Dean the same way she looked at a puppy. "Dean wants to hunt the scawy monsters."

"Awwww, he's adorable," Bobby teased. "I got to get out of here. You boys drive safe."

"You too, Bobby," Sam said as Bobby walked to his car. "Hey, thanks."

"See ya, Bobby," Amy called out as Bobby drove off.

"So uh...so, what did you see?" Sam asked his brother. "Near the end, I mean."

"Oh, besides a cop beating my ass?" Dean joked.

"Seriously."

Dean looked at Sam for a moment before looking away, a hint of fear flashing in his eyes. "Howler monkeys," he stated, taking another shot of beer. "Whole roomful of them. Those things creep the hell out of me."

Sam chuckled slightly. "Right."

"No, just the usual stuff, Sammy," Dean insisted. "Nothing I can't handle."

"Well, I don't know about you guys," Amy spoke up, "but I wanna get out of here."

"Yeah, let's get out of here," Dean agreed.

After packing their shotguns into the trunk, the three hunters climbed into the Impala. Amy rested her head on the window as Dean started the engine and drove off, leaving the town of Rockridge, Colorado behind.


	17. Sallie House

**October 24th, 2008 - Freebury, Wyoming**

**Nova Motel**

Amy sighed as she stared up at the ceiling. They had been driving around for two days looking for a case and had come up short. Not that Amy was complaining, though. It was nice to get a little break after the events that occurred in Rock Ridge, Colorado.

"Okay, what about this?" Dean asked, drawing Amy's attention away from the ceiling. "Local man claims to see two lights flying towards him down the street."

"You're getting desperate, aren't you?" Amy asked, flipping over onto her stomach. "Let's see, that's either drunk guy sees two people with flashlights walking towards him from a distance at night and freaks out, or," she slowly moved her finger towards Dean, putting on her best E.T. voice, "E.T. phone home."

Dean closed his laptop. "Maybe I am getting desperate," he claimed. "But, I need something after Colorado."

"Dean, that wasn't that long ago," Sam stated. "We'll find something."

Dean sighed. "Yeah, well..." he trailed off.

Amy laughed, throwing a pillow in Dean's face with her powers. She smirked as Dean grabbed the cushion off of the floor and glared mischievously at her.

"Oh, so that's how it's gonna be, huh?" Dean asked as Sam laughed in the background.

In response, Amy stuck her tongue out.

Dean threw the pillow back, only to have it stopped in mid-air by Amy, who immediately redirected it back to his face.

"Hey, is it just me," Sam said as Dean tossed the pillow back on the bed, "or are your powers getting stronger?"

Amy sighed. "Maybe?" she asked with uncertainty. "I mean, it sure seems that way. I don't have to concentrate as much anymore to use them."

"And then there was that time, not long after Dean came back," Sam recalled. "With those two ghost girls and Bobby?"

Amy sat up. "Oh yeah. I had almost forgotten about that."

"Wait, what happened?" Dean asked.

"Right," Amy said, "so much was happening that day, I guess we forgot to tell you."

"Bobby was trapped in a van at the top of a pile of old, rusted cars," Sam explained, "I climbed up to rescue him, and those two ghost girls threw me off."

"Without even thinking I kind of, yelled out Sam's name and..." Amy held out her hands, demonstrating what she had done that day, "did this..."

"And I slowed down," Sam finished. "I didn't hit the ground as hard as I probably would have."

"Oh yeah," Dean said, "and there was that other thing, I think, around the same time. You seemed to hear something that I didn't say, but had rather thought instead."

Amy nodded. "Yeah. It was so weird. I could hear you, loud and clear, only you hadn't actually said it."

"It's been a month since that happened," Sam said, "has anything else happened since then? More specifically, anything like either of those two things that happened before?"

Amy shook her head. "No, I don't think so."

"Well, it's pretty clear your powers are getting stronger," Dean stated. "I mean, you've already gone from not being able to use them at all to suddenly having them back."

"Yeah, uh, how did you get your powers back anyway?" Sam asked. "I mean, they seemed to just appear out of nowhere. I know you had told us about them in the past, but I was honestly beginning to think you didn't actually have them. At least, until you began using them."

"Oh, uh," Amy said, trying to think up something on the spot that didn't sound too unrealistic, "I guess I just kinda knew they were still there if that makes sense. Like, my powers didn't just vanish into thin air. I had just forgotten how to use them."

"You did mention, at some point," Sam added, "that you used to be able to use your powers on yourself and kinda hover a little, right?"

Amy nodded. "Yep. That was actually one of the very first things I did when I discovered my powers when I was younger. I fell from a rock wall and stopped myself in mid-air before hitting the ground."

"How old were you when that happened?"

"Five?" Amy guessed. "Maybe a little older. It wasn't until another couple of years that I was able to do the whole hovering thing again, though. I think the only time I was able to do it that first time was because I was falling from pretty high up and wanted to not seriously injure or kill myself. I don't even really remember how I did it after that, to be honest."

"Have you tried to do it since you got your powers back?" Sam asked.

Amy shook her head. "No," she admitted.

"What if you tried, right now?" Dean asked.

"Dude, I don't even know how I did it the first time," Amy repeated. "And at this point, it's been almost a decade since I did."

"Come on," Dean encouraged, "just try."

"Do you remember anything about how you were able to do it?" Sam asked.

Amy sighed, getting onto her feet. "I don't know," she said. "I know I was using my powers on myself. Kinda like-" Amy paused briefly as she tried to remember what she had done all those years ago. She focused her powers on the lower half of her body, willing it to lift off the ground.

Amy suddenly gave a yelp as she found both her feet suddenly lifting off the ground. She hovered for a few seconds before falling back to the ground.

"Huh," Amy said, "I guess it was easier than I thought."

"Wow," Sam said, in complete shock, "that was actually kinda impressive."

Dean closed his gaping mouth. "Okay. So, telekinesis, mind-reading, and levitation. Is there anything else you can do?"

Amy shook her head. "Not that I know of."

"So how come you were able to do that mind-reading and other things a month ago, but nothing's happened since?" Sam asked.

Amy shrugged. "I don't know. Adrenaline, maybe? At least for the thing with Sam. I saw him falling towards the ground, and I panicked. Did the first thing that came to mind which, for some reason, was to reach my hands out like I was trying to catch him or something. As if I could actually do that."

"And the other thing?"

"I think I was just concentrating more than I usually was," Amy guessed.

"Do you think you could do it again?" Sam asked.

Amy shrugged. "Honestly? Yeah, probably."

"Quick, what am I thinking?" Dean asked, staring Amy down.

"I don't know," Amy said, "but I know I'm thinking that you staring at me like that is making me feel pretty uncomfortable."

"Dean, come on," Sam said sternly, hitting his brother in the arm.

"Ow!" Dean whined. "Okay, okay. But if anything does happen, you tell us, okay?"

Amy nodded. "Will do."

* * *

Later that night, Amy had just changed into a pair of sweatpants and a comfortable shirt. She was currently lying on the bed, flipping through the motel T.V. channels while Sam and Dean searched for a case.

' _Come on, there's gotta be something we can do_ ,' Amy heard Dean say. She looked over at the brothers. ' _A ghost, demon. Hell, I'd even take a werewolf_.'

"I'm sure we'll find something, Dean," Amy said. "Would you just relax already?"

Sam and Dean exchanged a glance.

"Amy, what did you just hear me say?" Dean asked.

"Come on, there's gotta be something we can do," Amy repeated. "A ghost, demon. Hell, I'd even take a werewolf."

"I didn't say that out loud," Dean stated.

Amy sat up, now fully aware of what had just happened. "Which means it happened again."

"But you weren't even doing anything," Dean said. "You were just flipping through the channels."

"Exactly," Sam said in realization. "She wasn't doing anything. She was just relaxing, not really thinking about all that much."

"And that triggered it?" Dean asked.

"Maybe," Sam said with a shrug. "I mean, she probably didn't have a lot on her mind, so it might have been easier for what you were thinking to slip through."

"Okay, well, let's see if we can't at least figure this out," Dean said. "'Cause I don't know about you, but I'd prefer to keep her out of my head."

"I mean, I technically have already been in your head," Amy reminded Dean, "with the dream root thing?"

"That was different," Dean said. "Those were dreams, this is more what I'm thinking at that moment."

"Well, I mean, now that we at least know how it works, maybe we can help her control it."

"How?" Dean asked. "I mean, you got your psychic crap, or whatever, but I feel like this is pretty different than that."

"Well, no duh," Amy said with a laugh, "exorcising demons is pretty far off from mind-reading."

"I just mean," Sam continued, "We should probably try to figure out how to help her control it better. So that nothing happens in the middle of a hunt, or anything."

"As long as she stays out of my head afterward, and this gives me something to do, then I say let's do it," Dean decided. He turned to Amy. "Alright, let's try this again," he leaned back in his chair. "What am I thinking."

Amy tried to focus. She tried to ignore the sounds of passing cars out the window or the water tap dripping water into the sink from the bathroom.

 _'Bring me a pie. Bring me a pie. Bring me a pie. Bring me a_ -'

Amy rolled her eyes. "I'm not bringing you a pie, and you're not a Jedi anyway, so that wouldn't have worked."

Dean threw his arms up triumphantly. "It worked!"

"What was he thinking?" Sam asked.

"Bring me a pie," Amy replied. "Over and over and over."

"Seriously, Dean?" Sam asked.

"What?" Dean asked. "It worked."

Amy sighed. "You are unbelievable, sometimes." She yawned, a wave of fatigue washing over her. "Alright, it's late, I'm going to bed. Goodnight."

"Night, Amy," Sam and Dean said simultaneously.

"Night, guys." Amy rolled over, placing her head on the pillow as she tried to get to sleep.

* * *

**October 25th, 2008**

Amy was awoken early the next morning by a pillow being thrown in her face. She groaned at the unexpected awakening as she slowly opened her eyes and sat up.

"What?" she grumbled.

"Get up," Dean said gleefully, "I found us a case."

"Wait, really?" Amy asked, now interested. "Where?"

"A family was murdered inside their own home in Atchison, Kansas. No sign of a break-in, and a few days before they died, they claimed the lights were flickering, and they could hear scratching in the walls."

Amy sighed. "Well, I guess it's better than nothing," she said. "I'll get dressed, and then we can head out?"

"Sound's good," Sam said.

* * *

Twenty minutes later, they were packed up and in the Impala.

Amy sat in the backseat, eyes flashing between the brothers as they muttered between themselves, casting Amy a glance every once in a while.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Sam asked.

"No," Dean admitted, "but if it works and it helps her, you know, then I say we give it a shot."

"You know," Amy said, leaning forward, "if you're going to talk about me, you might want to make sure I'm, one, not right behind you and two, not deaf."

"Alright, alright," Dean said. "Sam and I were just thinking that maybe this case will be a good opportunity for you to practice your powers."

"On other people?" Amy asked. "I'm not so sure about that."

"Not your whole mind-moving, crap, or whatever," Dean said, "but the mind-reading."

"Isn't that kind of an invasion of privacy?" Amy asked. "Reading complete strangers' minds?"

"If you don't want to, it's fine," Sam said, "but we just thought it would be a good way to both get some new information and help you practice these new powers."

Amy sighed. "Let me think about it. I'll let you know when we get to Atchison."

Dean nodded. "Sounds good.

Amy leaned back in her seat, staring out the window.

' _On the one hand_ ,' she thought, ' _this could be a good opportunity to enhance and practice my powers without Gabe around to help. On the other hand, though, I don't exactly feel comfortable going through complete strangers heads_.' She sighed as she watched trees on the side of the road flash by. ' _Why can't I just be a normal girl with normal problems. Someone who doesn't have to think about stuff like this? Why the hell do I even have these stupid powers? I know we haven't met you yet, Chuck, but I'm gonna want some damn answers when we do. And number one is what the hell_?'

* * *

**Atchison, Kansas**

Late that night, Dean pulled into the Ortiz Enterprises Hotel, after stopping once earlier to get dinner. Sam checked them into a room on the third floor, and they headed in.

"So, you make a decision yet?" Dean asked.

Amy sighed. "Alright, I'll do it. But this is the only time, got it?"

Dean nodded. "Deal."

Amy followed Sam and Dean into the motel room, tossing her bag onto one of the beds.

Sam immediately pulled out his laptop. "Okay, so victims' names were Brian and Rebecca Torres. Married thirteen years." He scrolled through the news article. "Uh, apparently they were pretty well known in the neighborhood, despite only moving in a few months ago. Mr. Torres worked in the law firm business, and Mrs. Torres frequented the neighborhood but mostly stayed home to" he paused for a moment, "prepare for their son to be born."

"That poor, unborn baby," Amy said sympathetically.

"So, who should we talk to first?" Dean asked.

"How about the person that found them?" Sam asked. "Jacob Thompson," he read. "Looks like he lives across the street from where the Torres used to live."

"Sounds good," Dean said. "We'll go talk to him first thing in the morning."

* * *

**October 26th, 2008 - Ortiz Enterprises Hotel**

The next day, they got ready to go out. Dean drove them to Jacob Thompson's house, parking the Impala across the street. He handed Amy her FBI badge as they got out.

"Just see what you can find out, okay?" Dean asked. "See if he's hiding anything."

"I still don't like this plan, but okay," Amy agreed.

Sam led them up the front steps and rang the doorbell. A moment later, the door opened, and a balding man appeared behind the screen.

"Yes?" the man asked.

"Jacob Thompson?" Dean asked.

"Yes," Jacob replied.

"I'm agent Bonham," he introduced, flashing his badge. "This is agent Lee and agent..." Dean paused for a moment, "Jones," he finally said. Sam and Amy flashed their badges as well. "Mind if we ask you a few questions?"

"Uh, yeah, sure," Jacob opened the screen door. "Come on in."

"This is about Brian and Rebecca Torres, right?" Mr. Thompson asked as he led them into the living room.

"Yes, it is," Dean confirmed.

The three hunters sat down on the couch, directly across from Mr. Thompson.

"Now, Mr. Thompson, you were the one who found the bodies, correct?" Sam asked.

Jacob nodded. "That's right. I used to see Brian and Rebecca at least once a day, either before I left for work or when I got home. When I didn't see them for a day or so, I got worried. Went to check up on them and, well, you know the rest."

Amy sat there as Sam and Dean questioned Mr. Thompson. She did her best to concentrate on Mr. Thompson's thoughts, rather than what he was saying.

"Mr. Thompson, do you know if the Torres' had any enemies? Anyone that would want to harm them in any way?" Dean asked.

"Oh no," Mr. Thompson replied, shaking his head. "Everyone loved Rebecca and Brian."

' _If you mean, loved to think up ways to get them out of here_ ,' Amy heard Jacob think. ' _God, I'm sure I can list fifty people around this town that wanted them dead_.'

"Mr. Thompson," Amy spoke up, "withholding information from the FBI is a federal crime. If there's anything you can tell us, now would be the time."

Mr. Thompson looked shocked. Finally, he sighed. "Okay. If I'm gonna be honest, a lot of people hated them. They'd often talk about the Torres's behind their back. I think a few even plotted to kill them. Brian wasn't exactly the nicest person to get along with, and Rebecca. Well, it was pretty obvious she only cared about herself." Jacob sighed again. "Look, I'm sure there are lots of people in this neighborhood who are glad they're gone."

"Can we get a list of the people who mentioned might have plotted to kill them?" Dean asked.

"Of course," Mr. Thompson said, standing up, "I'll just be a moment."

When Mr. Thompson was out of earshot, Sam and Dean turned to Amy.

"So, what did you hear?" Sam asked.

"Not much," Amy explained. "Just that he could probably make a list of fifty people who wanted them dead."

"Nice going, kid," Dean praised.

"Thanks," Amy muttered. "I still don't feel comfortable doing this, though."

"We promised it would be a one-time thing, and we meant it," Sam reassured her."

Mr. Thompson returned with a sheet of printer paper, that had various names written all over it.

Dean stood up, reaching for the paper. "That was fast?" he asked.

"I'm not gonna hide anything from you guys," Jacob said, "a few months ago, I started getting these, I guess you could call it a gut feeling, about some of the neighbors here. Started keeping tabs on them in case anything ever happened."

"Thank you for your time, Mr. Thompson, and your honesty," Sam said, "we'll be in touch if there are any further questions."

Jacob Thompson stood up. "Anytime," he said, "let me know if there's any other way I can help."

Sam nodded. "Of course."

* * *

Amy followed Sam and Dean to the Impala, climbing into the backseat.

"So, I guess it worked," Sam said as Dean drove away from the house. "How are you feeling?"

"I've got a bit of a headache," Amy admitted, "but other than that, I'm doing okay."

"Well, at least we know you've got some control over it," Dean said, looking at Amy through the rear-view mirror.

"Yeah," Amy muttered. "Hey, why are you guys helping me with this anyway?" she asked. "I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm glad I'm not alone in this. But, knowing you guys, you aren't exactly the type of people who would seem too keen on this."

"Alright, look," Dean replied, "I'm not exactly too into the idea of you having powers."

Sam shifted uncomfortably in his seat at this but didn't say anything.

"But you didn't exactly try to hide them from us either," Dean continued, "and that counts."

"We wanna do anything we can to help you, Amy," Sam said.

"You're family, Amy," Dean continued. "And family cares about you. They're there through all of it. The good and the bad."

Amy was almost in disbelief. "Family?" she asked.

Sam nodded. "Yeah, Amy. You're our family."

"Which means, like it or not, we're here for you, kid," Dean finished.

Amy smiled as she leaned back in her seat. She had never really thought about it that way, but Sam and Dean Winchester themselves had confirmed something she had been wondering for a long time. She rested her head on the cold window, listening to Sam and Dean talk about the case from the front seat as Dean drove them back to the motel.

* * *

When they got back to the hotel room, Sam pulled out his laptop, opening up anything he could find on the Torres's and their house.

"Okay," he said, clearing his throat. "So, according to this, the Torres's house first belonged to a family in the eighteen hundreds. A Mr. and Mrs. Finney. Uh, they had a daughter named Sally, who supposedly died during a botched appendicitis surgery inside the house. After that, the husband seemed to go on a rampage, killing his wife and then himself almost one month later."

"So now Sally and her parents are back?" Amy asked.

"I don't see anything else it could be," Sam said.

"Alright," Dean said, clapping his hands together, "I say we torch some bones and get out of here, then."

"Does it say where they were buried?" Amy asked.

"Doesn't look like it," Sam said, shaking his head. "Nearest cemetery is the Mount Vernon Cemetery, though. It's only a few miles from the house. That might be a good place to start."

Dean nodded. "Sounds good. We'll head out tonight, search a graveyard, hopefully, torch some bones, and be out of here by tomorrow." Without another word, Dean threw himself face-first onto the bed, falling asleep.

Amy sighed as she watched Dean fall asleep so quickly.

* * *

**Mount Vernon Cemetery**

Later that night, Dean drove them to the cemetery. They searched through the plot sites, until finally coming across two gravestones.

**Charles Finney**

**Born 1801 - Died 1832**

**Beloved husband**

**Michelle Finney**

**Born 1805 - Died 1832**

**Beloved wife**

"Well, there's mom and dad," Amy said, pointing to the graves, "but where's Sally?"

"Why wouldn't they be buried with their daughter?" Sam wondered.

"I don't know," Dean said, "but I say we torch these suckers."

* * *

Sam, Dean, and Amy spent the next few hours, taking turns digging up the two graves.

Amy watched as Sam and Dean poured lighter fluid and salt onto the bones. When both bodies were completely doused, Dean pulled out his lighter.

"Sayonara, ghostie," he said as the graves lit up in a fiery inferno.

* * *

As the flames died down, Amy helped Sam and Dean shovel the dirt back into the graves.

"Did that seem too easy?" Amy asked as they walked back to the Impala.

"Definitely," Sam agreed. He took Amy's shovel from her, placing it in the trunk.

"Whatever," Dean said, "point is, the ghost is gone, and we can get out of here by tomorrow morning."

Amy shrugged. "If you say so."

* * *

**October 27th, 2008 - Ortiz Enterprises Hotel**

Amy woke up the next morning to find Sam and Dean sitting at the table, decked out in their FBI disguises, neither of their bags packed.

"Hey," she greeted, "what's going on? I thought we'd be leaving today."

"Well, that was until another body was found in the house," Sam told her.

"What?" Amy asked.

"Megan Torres, Brian and Rebecca's daughter, went to the house last night to collect her parents' belongings. Police found her body this morning."

"See, Dean?" Amy asked. "I told you it seemed too easy."

"Yeah, well, how was I supposed to know anything else would happen?"

"Okay," Amy continued, "so, where is Sally, then?"

"She's gotta be in the house," Sam guessed. "I mean, she died in the house. There's a good chance she was buried in the house as well."

"Sammy and I are gonna go do some questioning," Dean said. "You wanna stay here or come with? It's up to you."

"I'll stay here," Amy decided. "See you guys when you get back. I'm still a little tired, to be honest."

Dean nodded. "Sounds good. "We'll see you in a little bit."

* * *

Sam and Dean left Amy alone in the hotel room. She flopped onto the bed, grabbing the remote to turn on the T.V. She pointed the remote towards the screen as if she was going to turn it on but ultimately ended up dropping it back onto the bed.

Amy sighed. ' _Maybe I should have gone with them_ ,' she thought. ' _I wonder if they're still here_.'

Amy stood up, walking over to the window. She pulled back the blinds, looking out towards the parking lot, only to find the Impala gone.

"Damn it," she muttered to herself. She turned back to the empty room. "Well, now I'm bored. I suppose I could practice my new powers a bit more." She sighed as she realized she was talking to nobody. "Okay, Amy, stop talking to yourself," she said aloud.

* * *

Amy decided to spend the time until Sam and Dean got back practicing what she had recently learned to do. She focused her powers once again on the lower half of her body, trying to will herself to lift off the ground again.

She felt a faint tingling in her legs. Amy focused harder, and the tingling sensation got stronger. The air around her feet seemed to move around, pushing on the bottom of them. She suddenly felt her feet lift off the ground again, but this time, she didn't lose focus. She kept focusing, hovering in the air for a solid twenty seconds before slowly lowering herself back to the ground.

"Well," Amy said with a sigh, "I guess if I was able to do this when I was seven with myself and the other girls at the same time, it makes sense that this is getting easier to do."

"Hello, Amelia," a gruff voice said behind her.

Amy spun around. Standing by the window, was Castiel.

"Cas?" Amy asked. "What are you doing here? Dean's not here if you were looking for him."

"Actually, I was looking for you," Castiel replied.

"Okay," Amy said, nodding with uncertainty, "uh, what's up?"

"I need to know what you know," Cas told her.

Amy looked at Cas, waiting for him to say anything else. "What I know about what?" she asked when he didn't say anything else.

"About this world," Castiel explained, "you know more than the Winchesters do, and even more than you let on. I need to know what that is."

Amy laughed at the angel. "Sorry, angel boy, no can do. Some of those things are deep in the spoiler territory."

"Spoiler territory?" Cas asked.

"Yeah, you know," Amy explained, "a spoiler is something that will happen, usually pretty major, that another person doesn't know about. Usually, something revealing about the plot."

"This is a need-to-know," Castiel explained as he reached his hand towards her head.

Amy knocked Castiel's hand away. "Whatever it is, no, it is most certainly not. Stay out of my head."

Castiel seemed to stare her down, but Amy stood her ground.

"Fine," Cas relented. "But I will be back."

"Knowing you," Amy said, "I'm counting on it."

Cas tilted his head at Amy, before suddenly vanishing, the sound of a flutter of wings indicating his departure.

"Angels," Amy huffed.

* * *

About an hour later, Sam and Dean returned.

"How'd it go?" Amy asked.

"Uh, well, we found out that Megan was the one that was renting the house out for her parents to live in. Turns out that after her parents died, she had begun making arrangements to move in."

"Any sign of Sally while you guys were there?"

"Oh, yeah," Dean replied, "place was spiking with EMF. We're gonna head over tonight to finish the job."

"Sounds good," Amy said. "I actually can't wait to leave now."

"Yeah," Sam scoffed, "so, what did you do while we were gone?"

Amy shrugged. "Practiced my new powers a bit more." To demonstrate, she lifted herself off the ground once more, lying on her stomach in mid-air. "Oh, and Cas showed up," she added as she slowly lowered herself to the ground.

Dean looked up at this, now more interested. "What did he want?"

"He said he needed to know what I knew about this world."

"What did you say?" Sam asked.

"I basically said go away and stay out of my head."

"Do you even remember anything from that show you used to watch anymore?" Dean asked. "I mean, it's gotta be, what? Two or almost three years since you watched it?"

"It hasn't even been two years," Amy corrected. "I met you guys in May last year, remember? But yes, I do actually remember some stuff. My memory is weird like that. I don't remember what I ate for breakfast two days ago, but I can remember the lyrics to the theme song of a T.V. show I haven't watched since I was probably six or seven."

Amy sighed. "I'm not telling you what I remember from the show, but there are some things, like character reveals or major plot points, that I can still remember pretty clearly. Some things in the show are pretty hard to forget, no matter how long it's been."

"Are you ever going to tell us what those things are?" Dean asked.

Amy shook her head. "Nope. But pretty much everything I do know, you'll find out on your own eventually."

"Okay, Dean, look," Sam interrupted, "if she wants to tell us something, she will. But, let's at least leave that up to her. Besides, I'm sure there are things that we aren't supposed to know yet."

Amy nodded. "Right. Thank you, Sam."

Sam smiled. "No problem."

"Get a room, you two," Dean joked. "Alright, make sure you're packed and ready to go by tonight. As soon as this Sally chick is barbequed, we're out of here."

* * *

Amy sat in the back seat of the Impala later that night as Dean drove to the house. Dean parked the Impala in front of the house, and she got out with them.

Sam handed Amy her gun and a few salt rounds, and she followed them up the front steps. Dean picked the lock and opened the door, pushing the police tape up so they could enter.

Amy found herself in a living room as she walked through the front door.

"Okay," Dean said, "spread out. Like find this ghost and gank it."

* * *

Amy walked up to the second floor as Sam and Dean searched downstairs. She walked down the hallway, pushing the door open to find an unfinished nursery. She looked around for a bit, before turning to leave.

As Amy turned out of the room, a little girl appeared behind her. She was a small African-American girl, probably no older than eight, wearing a nineteenth-century style dress. The girl stared up at her with curious eyes.

"Sally?" Amy asked quietly.

The ghost girl nodded. "Have you seen my mommy and daddy?" she asked.

"I'm sorry, Sally," Amy said sympathetically, "your mommy and daddy are dead."

"I know," Sally informed her. "My daddy said they would come to find me, but they never showed up."

"I know where they are," Amy told her. "My friends and I, we can take you to them. But I need your help if we're going to do that. Okay?"

Sally nodded.

"Sally, before we do, though, can you tell me why you hurt the family that was living here?"

"I didn't mean to," the little ghost said, "the other families that lived here were nice to me. But those new people started throwing stuff at me, and I got scared."

"Amy?" Sam's voice sounded up the stairs. "You find anything."

"Yeah, I found Sally," Amy called back. "Come on up, but whatever you do, don't shoot."

Sam and Dean ran up the stairs.

"What the hell?" Dean asked when he saw Amy kneeling eye level to the little ghost girl.

"This is Sally," Amy told them, standing up.

"I never thought a murderous ghost could look so cute," Dean muttered.

"She says she didn't mean to kill those people. Apparently, the other people that lived here before the Torres's knew about her and were nice. But the Torres's made her pretty scared."

"I want my mommy and daddy," Sally whined.

"Your mommy and daddy are gone," Sam told her.

"She knows," Amy informed them. "Apparently her dad told her they would come to her, but never showed up after they, you know." She turned to Sally. "Sally, if we're going to get you to your mommy and daddy, we need to know where you're buried. Do you know where that is?"

Sally nodded. Without another word, she grabbed Amy's hand, leading her downstairs.

Sam and Dean exchanged a glance before following them down the stairs.

* * *

Sally led Amy to the basement door, leading her down the dark steps.

At the bottom of the steps, Sally let go of Amy's hand. Amy watched as Sally walked over to a section of a wall that had been bricked over.

Dean picked up a crowbar, using it to chip the cement away from the bricks until he could remove them. Once enough bricks were removed, he backed up.

Amy peered into the new hole in the wall. Inside was the skeleton of a child. She backed away, turning to Sally.

"Ready, Sally?" she asked.

Sally nodded. "Thank you," she said.

Amy smiled. "You're welcome, Sally."

"Let's get this over with," Dean said. He doused the bones in lighter fluid and salt, tossing a lighter in once he was done.

The little ghost girl next to Amy burst into flames as her skeleton lit up, and a moment later, she disappeared.

"Well, that was interesting," Amy remarked.

* * *

Amy helped Sam and Dean lay the bricks back in the wall before following them out of the house.

"Okay," she said as they placed their guns in the trunk of the car, "that was by far the nicest ghost I've met."

Sam chuckled slightly. "Yeah. I guess all she wanted were her parents."

"Well, I'm ready to get out of here," Amy said.

Dean pulled the keys out of his pocket. "Me too. Everyone in. We're taking off."

"Alright, already," Amy joked. "So impatient."

Sam laughed along with Amy as they got into the Impala. Amy placed her head on the cold window and closed her eyes as Dean started the ignition, driving away from the house.


	18. Wishful Thinking

**November 3rd, 2008 - Concrete, Washington**

Dean pulled the Impala into the parking lot of Tall Totem Lodge. They had found a case involving a ghost appearing in women's showers, and Dean had been all too happy to check it out.

"Alright, let's go talk to the vic," Dean decided after they had tossed their bags into the room.

Sam stopped him from walking out. "Uh, how about you go check out the fitness center?" he suggested. "Amy and I will go."

Dean looked offended. "What?"

"Dean, you're a little too excited about this case, okay? I think it'll be better if Amy and I go talk to Candace Armstrong. You see if you can find out anything else that can help us."

"Sammy-" Dean started to protest.

"Dean, we have to be professional about this!"

"I am professional!" Dean shouted.

Sam gave his brother a look.

Finally, Dean gave in. "Fine. I'll go check out the showers while you guys talk to Candace."

Amy chuckled slightly at Dean. "So, where are we meeting Candace?" she asked Sam.

"Lucky Chin's Chinese Restaurant," Sam replied. "I told her we were writing a book about encounters like hers. We're meeting her in an hour."

Amy nodded. "Alright. Cool."

* * *

An hour later, Dean reluctantly dropped Sam and Amy off in front of the Chinese restaurant. The two of them walked in and looked around, spotting a woman sitting by herself at a booth.

"Candace Armstrong?" Sam asked, walking up to the woman.

The woman looked up. "Yes, that's me."

"I'm Sam, that's Amy," Sam introduced. Amy waved. "We spoke on the phone?"

Candace nodded. "Yes, I remember. Please, sit down."

Sam and Amy sat down on the bench across from Candace.

"I'm not surprised the spirit world chose to make contact with me," Candace admitted. "I'm something of a... natural sensitive."

Sam nodded. "I can sense that about you, Candace," he said slowly, "that whole... sensitive thing."

Candace smiled. "So, what did you say you're calling your book?"

"Oh, well, um..." Sam tried to think of a title.

"Supernatural," Amy cut in. "It's a working title, but it's the best we've got right now."

"Yeah," Sam agreed. "We've been crossing the country, gathering stories like yours. But, anyway, you were telling me about your encounter."

"Yes. Well..." Candace sighed, "once I saw the apparition, that's when I started to run."

Amy noticed Sam get distracted by a couple kissing at a booth next to them. She hit him on the arm, bringing his attention back to the reason they were there in the first place.

"And you said the ghost chased you?" Sam asked Candace.

"Not just that. It knew my name," Candace whispered. "It kept yelling, "Mrs. Armstrong! Mrs. Armstrong!" And that's when I hit the stairs and fell."

"I thought you said you were pushed," Amy recalled.

"Oh, I don't – I don't know," Candace admitted. "I mean, I think it did. Maybe."

"Did you feel like it meant to hurt you, like it was violent, or..." Sam asked, trailing off.

Candace scoffed. "It was a ghost. I'm lucky to be alive. Anyway, I was at the bottom of the stairs, and that's when it got weird." She chuckled slightly. "It helped me up."

Sam and Amy looked at each other in confusion. "Say again?" Sam asked.

"Yeah. It helped me up," Candace repeated. "And it kept saying over and over, "Please, don't tell my mom."."

"Yeah, that's weird," Sam agreed.

"Um, was there anything else you might be able to tell us about this... encounter, Mrs. Armstrong?" Amy asked.

Candace shook her head. "No, I think that's it."

Sam closed his notebook. "Okay, well, thank you for your time," he said.

Amy followed Sam out of the restaurant. "Okay, we can both agree that that was weird, right?" she asked.

"Yeah," Sam agreed. "Very weird."

* * *

Sam and Amy walked down the street towards the Fitness Center. When they arrived, Dean was sitting on the steps, reading a newspaper.

"Well, you pick up anything?" Sam asked.

"No EMF in the shower or anywhere else," Dean said. "This house is clean."

"Yeah. I'm not surprised," Sam said, scoffing slightly. "I kind of got the feeling back there that crazy pushed Mrs. Armstrong down the stairs."

Dean sighed, standing up. "I got to tell you, I'm pretty disappointed."

Sam let out a breath. "You wanted to save naked women," he said as they started walking towards the car.

"Damn right, I wanted to save some naked women."

Sam chuckled slightly. Rapid footsteps approached, and all three hunters looked up to see some bullies chasing another boy.

"Run, Forrest, run!" Dean called after them in a Southern drawl.

Sam let out an amused noise. "Sorry, Dean, but I don't think anything's going on around here."

"So, now what do we-" an argument could be heard on the pier next to them, cutting Amy off.

A ranger was talking to a man who seemed to be getting worked up. "How the hell was I supposed to get a look at it?" the man asked angrily. "It grabbed me from behind and threw me into a tree!"

"Something's going on," Dean muttered. They started walking over.

"Yeah, okay, Gus. I understand you got shook up. Anyone would be," the ranger said, trying to calm the man down. "But don't you think it – don't you think it had to be a bear?"

"I know a damn bear track when I see one!" Gus yelled. "This thing didn't leave bear tracks! Its feet were huge!"

"Now, Gus..."

"It was Bigfoot, Hal!" Gus insisted. "The Bigfoot!"

"Bigfoot?" Amy asked in a whisper. She began to pull out her badge, along with Sam and Dean.

"Gus, you're not talking sense here."

"There's a Bigfoot out there, damn it," Gus continued insisting, "and he's a son of a bitch!"

"Excuse us," Sam interrupted Gus. They flashed their badges. "FBI."

"What?" the ranger asked, studying them.

"Yes, sir. We're here about the... that," Sam said, motioning to Gus.

"About Bigfoot?"

"That's right," Sam said, trying to sound confident. "Sir, can you tell me exactly where this happened?"

"Yes, I can." Gus pointed behind him. "Just up that trail."

"Thank you." They started walking in the direction Gus had pointed.

* * *

Amy followed behind Sam and Dean as they hiked up the trail.

"What the hell's going on in this town?" Dean asked. "First, there's a ghost that's not real, and now a Bigfoot sighting?"

"Well, every hunter worth his salt knows Bigfoot's a hoax," Sam said.

"So, then what the hell is going on?" Amy asked.

"Maybe somebody's pumping LSD into the town water supply," Dean suggested.

Amy nearly collided with Sam and Dean as they stopped in their tracks. She looked down to see large footprints that led away from the trail.

Okay. What do you suppose made that?" Dean asked.

Sam didn't seem to know what to say. "That, uh ... is a big foot."

"Okay..." Dean trailed off.

They followed the tracks out of the woods, coming up on a liquor store. Muddy footprints led to a wooden door that had been torn off its hinges.

"What the hell?" Amy repeated. She followed Sam and Dean into the store.

"So, what – Bigfoot breaks into a liquor store, jonesing for some hooch?" Dean asked, studying the broken bottles on the ground. "Amaretto and Irish cream," he read. "He's a girl-drink drunk." He took a bottle of something off the shelf, stuffing it into his pocket.

"Hey. Check this out," Sam called them over to the back of the store.

Amy and Dean walked over to him. "He took the whole porno rack?" Dean asked. Sam noticed something between the shelves and pulled it out. It was a massive tuft of fur. "Well, I'll say it again. What the hell is going on in this town?"

"Crazy," Amy said decidedly. "Crazy is going on."

* * *

Amy followed Sam and Dean out of the store, grabbing a bottle of coke from the fridge on the way out. They sat down on a bench right outside, sitting in silence for a while.

"I got nothing," Dean finally said.

"Me either," Amy agreed, opening her drink.

"It's got to be a joke, right?" Sam asked. "Some big-ass mother in a gorilla suit?"

"Or it's a Bigfoot," Dean suggested. "You know, and he's some kind of an alcoholo-porno addict. Kind of like a deep-woods doucher-y." Dean looked at Amy. "What do you think?"

Amy sighed. "I'm as lost as you guys."

A little girl rode up on a bike with a basket strapped to the back. A magazine fell off the end, and Dean picked it up, looking at it curiously.

"Why does a little girl have... that?" Amy asked, looking at the porno magazine.

"A little young for busty Asian beauties," Dean said.

They walked around to the back of the liquor store, peering around the corner. The little girl was walking her bike down the trail away from the store. They made their way to the steps to see the crate from the back of the girl's bike. Porno magazines and liquor bottles were inside, along with a note that said, "sorry."

"Come on," Dean whispered.

* * *

They followed the little girl to her house. Her bike sat outside on the front lawn.

"What's this, like a "Harry and the Hendersons" deal?" Dean asked as they walked to the front door. He knocked on the door.

A moment later, the door opened, and the little girl appeared. "Hello?"

"Hello!" Sam greeted. "Um, could we ... You know what? Are your parents at home?"

"Nope," the girl declared.

"No," the hunters repeated.

"Um ..." Dean began, "have you seen a really, really furry ..."

"Is he in trouble?" the girl asked.

"What?" Amy asked in confusion. "Is who in trouble?"

"My teddy bear," the girl replied. She lowered her voice to a whisper. "I think he's sick."

Amy exchanged a glance with Sam and Dean. "Wow. Uh ... amazing," Dean began. "'Cause you know what? We ... are, uh... teddy bear doctors," he decided. They pulled out their health inspector badges, showing them to the girl.

"Really?" the girl asked excitedly. "Can you please take a look at him?"

Sam nodded. "Sure."

"Sure. Yeah," Dean agreed.

They followed the little girl into her house. She led them upstairs to a room.

"He's in my bedroom," she told them. "He's pretty grumpy." She knocked on the door. "Teddy? There are some nice doctors here to see you."

The girl opened the door, and Amy had to blink a couple of times to make sure she was seeing things correctly. A giant teddy bear was sitting on the bed inside, watching television and drinking from a bottle.

"Close the friggin' door!" the teddy bear ordered.

The little girl closed the door, turning back to the hunters. "See what I mean?" she asked.

"Uh..." Amy said, trying to think of something to say.

"All I ever wanted was a teddy which was big, real, and talked," the girl explained. "But now he's sad all the time – not "ouch" sad, but ouch-in-the-head sad – says weird stuff, and smells like the bus."

"Um, little girl..." Dean began.

"Audrey!" the girl corrected exasperated.

"Audrey," Dean repeated. "How exactly did your teddy become real?"

"I wished for it," Audrey declared.

"Where did you wish for it?" Amy asked.

"At the wishing well," Audrey explained.

Dean reopened the bedroom door.

"Look at this," the teddy bear said, gesturing to the television. "You believe this crap?"

Dean shook his head. "Not really."

"It is a terrible world." the teddy turned to Dean. "Why am I here?!" it shouted.

"For tea parties!" Audrey yelled.

"Tea parties?" the teddy repeated. "Is that all there is?" it began to cry as gunshots were heard firing on the T.V.

Dean slowly walked out of the room, his eyes wide.

"Audrey, give us a second, okay?" Sam asked. They took a few steps away to talk in private.

"Okay. Are we... should we..." Sam stumbled, trying to find something to say. "Uh, are we gonna kill this teddy bear?"

"How?" Amy asked. "It's not like we can shoot it. It's made of stuffing. I don't even think it has a heart."

"Burn it?" Dean suggested.

"Both?" Sam asked.

"Okay, and when none of those work and we have a giant flaming teddy bear to deal with, then what?" Amy asked.

"Yeah," Sam agreed. "Besides, I get the feeling that the bear isn't really the, you know, core problem here." He turned back to Audrey. "Audrey. Where are your parents?" he asked.

"My mom wished they were in Bali, so I think they're in Bali," Audrey guessed.

"Okay, well," Sam said, "I'm really sorry to break this to you, but... your bear is sick. Yeah, he's – he's got..." he looked at Dean and Amy, trying to come up with something.

"Lollipop disease," Dean said decisively.

"Lollipop disease," Sam repeated, relieved.

"It's not uncommon for a bear his size," Dean continued. "But, see, it's – it's really contagious."

Sam nodded. "Yeah, so, is there – is there someone, maybe a grown-up, that you can stay with while we treat him?"

"Mrs. Hurley lives down the street," Audrey replied.

"Perfect," Dean said.

"Good, yeah, good," Sam agreed. "Uh, we'd like you to stay there for a few days, okay?"

"Okay." Audrey started walking away.

"Oh, and, Audrey?" Dean asked. "Where is this wishing well?"

"At the Lucky Chin's restaurant," Audrey told them.

"Okay," Sam said with a nod. "Thank you."

* * *

Amy followed them out of the house. "Lucky Chin's?" she repeated. "We were just there."

"So, what?" Dean asked. "This town has a wishing well that actually works?"

"I don't know," Sam said. "Should we check it out?"

"Yeah." They got in the Impala, driving towards the restaurant.

* * *

Five minutes later, Dean pulled the Impala up in front of the restaurant. He got out and led them in.

"Think it works?" Dean asked as they approached the well.

Sam scoffed. "Got a better explanation for teddy back there?"

"Well, there's one way to find out," Dean said, pulling out a coin.

"What are you gonna wish for?" Sam asked.

"Shh!" Dean shushed as he tossed the coin in. "Not supposed to tell."

A moment later, the doors to the restaurant opened, and a sandwich delivery guy entered.

"Somebody order a footlong Italian with jalapeño?" the delivery guy called out.

Sam and Dean slowly looked at each other.

"That'd be me," Dean announced, raising his hand. The delivery guy handed Dean the sandwich before leaving.

"Out of every possible thing you could have wished for, you wish for a sandwich?" Amy asked.

Dean led them over to a table, and they sat down. Dean took a bite of his sandwich.

"I think it works, dude," Dean said in between bites. "That was pretty specific."

"The teddy bear, the sandwich..." Sam listed off.

"Mm. I'm guessing this." Dean pulled out a newspaper, showing an article that read "Local Man Wins $168M Lottery."

"Probably that, too," Amy continued, nodding towards a couple making out at the next table.

"Well, that definitely goes on the list," Dean agreed. "What are we supposed to do, huh? Stop people's wishes from coming true? I mean, it sounds like kind of a douchey thing to do."

Sam sighed. "Yeah, maybe. But come on, man. When has something like this ever come without a price tag? And usually a deadly one."

Dean shrugged. "I don't know. It's a damn good sandwich." He took another bite of the sandwich. At Sam's look, he reluctantly put it down. "All right. Fine. We'll put a hold on the wishing till we figure out what's going on."

The restaurant manager walked over to them. "Uh, excuse me," he said. "I'm sorry. We don't allow people to eat outside food here."

"Well, I am certainly not gonna eat the inside food here," Dean said, his voice raising authoritatively. He started to pull out a badge, starting to open it, before putting the apparently wrong I.D. back. He pulled out the correct I.D., showing it to the manager. "Health department. You, my friend, have a rat infestation. We're gonna have to shut this place down under emergency hazard code 56C."

"Rats?!"

"Yes, rats," Dean repeated confidently. "We need this restaurant cleared and, uh, that fountain drained."

* * *

Five minutes later, Amy stood in front of a drained well inside the empty store. Dean took a broom, sweeping the coins around with it.

"Typical fountain, plaster Buddha," he declared. "Nothing I can see."

"Yes, nothing," the manager agreed. "We keep a clean place here."

Sam turned to him. "Sir, I'm gonna have to ask you to leave during the preliminary investigation, okay? Thank you."

The manager nodded and moved back several steps.

Dean picked up a penny. "Oh, come on. Aren't you a little bit tempted?" He tossed Sam the coin.

Sam chuckled. "No." He handed the coin back. "Wouldn't be real. I wouldn't trust it."

"I don't know," Dean said with a shrug. "That bear seemed pretty real." he turned to Amy. "What about you?"

"I don't even know what I would wish for," Amy said, shaking her head.

"Come on," Dean said, nudging his brother, "if you could wish yourself back, you know before it all started... Think about it. You'd be some big yuppie lawyer with a nice car and a white picket fence."

"Not what I'd wish for," Sam admitted.

"Seriously?"

"It's too late to go back to our old lives, Dean. I'm not that guy anymore."

"So, what would you wish for?" Amy asked.

"Lilith's head on a plate," Sam declared. "Bloody."

"Okay," Dean said, looking slightly disconcerted. He spotted a large coin in the well. "What is that?" he asked, bending down.

"Some kind of old coin. I don't recognize the markings."

Dean tried to pick the coin up, but it was stuck. "Damn."

"Lift with your legs," Sam joked.

Dean tried again to lift the coin, but it wouldn't budge. "Is that little mother welded on there?" Dean asked. He stood back up. "Okay, I've got some tools in the trunk. Amy, wait here, we'll be right back."

Sam and Dean left the restaurant, coming back in with a crowbar and a hammer. The manager gave them a look that said, "what the hell?" before following them back to the well.

Dean tried using the crowbar to lift the coin.

"Damn, that's stuck on there good," Amy declared.

"Hey, hey, hey, what is this?!" the manager shouted. "You are gonna break my fountain!"

"Sir, I don't want to slap you with a forty-four slash sixteen, but I will," Sam threatened. The manager reluctantly left them alone. "All right, thanks."

"Let me see that," Dean said, gesturing to the hammer Sam was holding. "I got an idea."

Sam handed over the hammer. Dean stuck the crowbar under the coin and lifted the hammer above his head, swinging it down onto the crowbar. Instead of the coin moving, the head of the hammer broke off, flying across the room.

"Ho!" the manager yelled as the head of the hammer landed at his feet.

"Damn!" Dean said, looking at the broken hammer.

"Coin's magical," Sam said decisively.

"No shit, Sherlock," Amy said, rolling her eyes.

"Boy, I'd say," Dean said, tossing the crowbar aside. Sam pulled a piece of paper from his notebook and started tracing the coin. "I think it's hoodoo that's protecting the well. I don't think we can destroy this."

Sam handed Dean the tracing of the coin. "All right, here. You two got to look into this."

"Where are you going?" Dean asked.

"Something just occurred to me," Sam stated before walking away.

Amy and Dean watched Sam leave. Dean chuckled nervously at the manager before clearing his throat.

"Well, it looks like this place is clean," Dean declared. "I'd say it's safe to let people eat here again."

Amy followed Dean out of the restaurant.

"What about the rats?" the manager shouted after them.

* * *

Amy and Dean walked down the street towards the library. Dean led her towards the computers, handing her the tracing.

"See what you can find online," Dean instructed. "I'll see if any books will help."

Dean walked off and Amy sat down at a computer, opening up Google.

Amy began typing anything she could think of that might work into the search bar. _Snake coins_ gave her several collectors archives about ancient coins, many of which seemed to be Babylonian. She erased the search and typed in _Babylonian snake coins_. The first result was a Wikipedia page about a creature named Mushkhushshu. She clicked the link, scrolling through the page. Nothing matched what she was looking for, so she clicked out.

Amy sighed, looking at the tracing again. ' _Maybe it's not a snake_ ,' she thought. She erased the word _snake_ replacing it with _dragon_ , erasing _coins_ as well _._ Enter.

The first result was for Mushkhushshu again, but underneath that, was a Wikipedia article for a goddess named Tiamat. She clicked the link.

"Find anything?" Dean asked, approaching the computer.

"I think so," Amy said indecisively. "I did a search on snake coins. Most were Babylonian so I ran a search on Babylonian snake coins, but none were what we were looking for, so I replaced snake with dragon. I found this article before you came up. Tiamat, the Babylonian dragon goddess."

Amy typed _Babylonian coin Tiamat_ into the search bar. "This is it," she declared, pointing at the screen. "Ancient Babylonian accursed coin."

"Hmm." Dean walked off, coming back a few moments later with some photocopies of something, his face twisted in a strange expression. "Let's go."

"You okay?" Amy asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Dean replied. "Let's just get to the motel."

* * *

Amy had to practically sprint to keep up with Dean as he hurried towards the motel. He stopped for a moment, clutching his stomach as he doubled over.

"You better run!" a boy yelled. Amy looked up to see the kid who was being chased earlier now chasing the bullies. The boy turned towards them.

"You got a problem?" the boy asked.

"What? No," Dean said, shaking his head.

The boy ran off and Dean groaned, clutching his stomach tighter.

* * *

They reached the motel room. Dean immediately ran into the bathroom. Amy heard a retching noise and screwed up her face.

"Amy?" Dean called out.

"Uh, yeah?"

"The wishes turn bad."

* * *

Five minutes later, Sam entered the room. More retching could be heard in the bathroom and he turned towards the door.

"Dean? You all right?" Sam asked.

"The wishes turn bad, Sam," Dean declared, voice strained. "The wishes turn very bad."

"The sandwich, huh?" Sam asked.

Dean flushed the toilet and walked out of the bathroom. "The coin was Babylonian. It's cursed. Amy figured it out." He turned towards the bathroom, gagging. "I'm good."

Amy turned to Sam. "It's Tiamat," she explained. "The Babylonian god of primordial chaos."

"They made the coin?" Sam asked.

"Seems that way," Amy said. "To sow the seeds of chaos."

"Whoever tosses a coin in the wishing well, makes a wish, it turns on the well," Dean continued. "Then it starts granting wishes to all comers."

"But the wishes get twisted," Sam said, nodding. "You ask for a talking teddy..."

"You get a bipolar nut job," Dean continued.

"And you get _E. coli_."

Dean glared at his brother. He sighed. "This thing has turned more than one town upside down over the centuries. It's even wiped a few off the map. I mean, one person gets their wish, it's trouble, but everybody gets their wish..."

"It's chaos," Sam concluded.

Dean nodded.

"Any way to stop it?"

"Yeah. One way," Dean explained. "We got to find the first wisher. Whoever dropped the coin in and made the first wish, they're the only ones who can pull it back out and reverse the wishes. So for now, we've got a couple of nutso dreams come true, but once the word gets out about the well, things are just gonna get crazier and crazier."

Sam picked up his laptop, moving to the desk. "I'll see if I can dig up anything else on this."

Amy yawned. "I think I'm gonna try and get some sleep. Night guys."

"Night, Amy."

* * *

**November 4th, 2008 - Tall Totem Lodge**

Sam shook Amy awake the next morning.

"What?" Amy asked sleepily.

"Hey, we think we figured out who made the first wish. Get dressed."

Amy sat up, stretching her arms. Within ten minutes they were on the road.

"So, who made the first wish?" Amy asked from the backseat.

"Guy named Wesley Mondale," Sam explained, handing Amy a newspaper. "His surprise engagement to a woman named Hope Lynn Casey was a month ago."

"Wow," Amy said sarcastically, handing the paper back, "true love."

* * *

Dean pulled up in front of a house. Amy followed them up the front steps and Dean rang the doorbell.

A moment later, a woman opened the door. "Yes?"

"Hi!" Sam greeted. "Are you Hope Casey?"

Hope nodded. Before Sam could say anything else, she gasped. "You're the florists!" she decided.

"Uh, yes," Amy said. Sam and Dean nodded in agreement. "We're here about the wedding."

Hope led them into the house. A man was inside, sitting in an armchair. "Wes! You didn't tell me that you called the florists for the wedding," Hope said with a smile.

"Huh?" Wes asked, confused.

"You're the best!" Hope kissed Wes on his forehead. "I'm gonna go get my folders."

"Uh, o- Okay," Wes said as Hope walked out of the room.

"Wesley, how's it going?" Dean asked.

"It's "Wes..." Wes began to correct, standing up. Dean took a step forward, and Wes sat back down. "...ss." Aren't you the guys from the health department?"

"Yeah," Sam nodded. "And florists on the side."

"Plus FBI," Dean continued.

"And teddy bear doctors," Amy finished.

"Huh?" Wes asked.

"It doesn't matter who we are," Dean said sternly. "What matters is what we know."

Sam nodded towards a coin display in the corner. "So, coin collector, huh, Wes?"

"Oh. Yeah. My," Wesley paused, looking distraught, "grandfather gave them to me."

"Looks like a coin is missing," Amy stated, gesturing to an empty slot.

"You didn't happen to lose it, did you, Wes?" Dean asked. "And by "lose," I mean drop into a wishing well at Lucky Chin's and make a wish on it?"

"No, I – I don't know what you're, uh, talking about," Wes denied.

Hope reentered the room, carrying several folders. "Okay, now. I have a lot of ideas, but, you know, we don't have all the money in the world," she told them. "Wes is between jobs right now. Means more time for me." Hope smiled. "You know, I'm thinking of a Japanese-y ikebana kind of thing."

Dean smiled. "Yes. I can see it."

"Yeah," Sam agreed. "So, Hope, uh, tell us how you two lovebirds met."

Hope sighed dreamily. "Oh, the best day of my life."

"I bet," Dean said.

Hope smiled. "Yeah! It's the funniest thing. We both grew up here, but I never really knew who he was. Not by name anyway. Until one day last month, it was like I just," she sighed, "I just saw him for the first time. He was just... glowing. Oh, just glowing."

"Uh, babe, can you – can you get us some coffee?" Wes asked.

"Yes. Yeah," Hope nodded.

"Okay. Okay. Okay. Mm-Hmm. Okay. Oh, okay. Oh. Mm-mmm, okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay," Wes said as he was repeatedly kissed by Hope.

"Yeah." Hope nodded as she finally left the room.

"Wes, we know," Sam said firmly. "So tell us the truth."

"My – my grandfather found the coin in north Africa, you know, World War II," Wes explained reluctantly. He took the coin display off the wall, showing it to the hunters. "And, uh, he brought it back. He, um, he said it was a real wish-granting coin, but that nobody should ever use it. Um... It was all I had, and when he died, I thought, "Well, you know what? Why not give the coin a shot?"?"

"So you decided to wish for someone to fall in love with you?" Amy asked, crossing her arms.

"Not just any someone," Wes declared. "Hope."

"Yeah, well, now you're gonna wish it back," Sam said.

"Oh." Wes chuckled slightly. "Oh. Haha, no, I'm not."

"If you don't stop it, something bad's gonna happen," Dean stated.

"But, knowing how quickly wishes have been turning," Amy continued, "I'd bet your wish already has."

"We really wish you'd come with us," Dean said, pulling out his gun.

Wes gulped. "Hope?" he called out.

Almost immediately, Hope came around the corner. "Yes, Wes?"

"I have to leave for a bit," Wes said. "But I'll be back."

"Yes, Wes." Hope pulled Wes into a long kiss.

When Wes finally broke free, they walked out to the car. Wes sat in the backseat next to Amy, his head resting against the top of the seat.

"I don't get it," Wes declared. "So, my wish came true. Why does that have to be a bad thing?"

"Because the wishes go south, Wes," Sam stated. "Your town is going insane."

"Come on. You're gonna sit there and tell me that your relationship with Hope is functional, that it's what you wished for?" Dean asked.

"I wished she would love me more than anything," Wes told them.

"Oh yeah," Amy said sarcastically, "that sounds like a great wish. How's it working out for you?"

"Well, it's a hell of a lot better than when she didn't know I was alive," Wes stated, leaning forward.

"You're not supposed to get what you want, man, not like this," Dean said, his voice rising. "Nobody is. That's what the coin does."

Wes sighed, leaning back against the seat again.

"It takes your heart's desires and it twists it back on you," Dean continued. "You hear of the whole, uh, "be careful what you wish for"?"

Amy reached for something to grab onto out of reflex as a loud thud was heard and the Impala seemed to drive over something. She looked behind them but didn't see anything.

"Did we just hit something?" Sam asked.

Dean shrugged. "I didn't see anything."

"Careful what you wish for," Wes mocked. "You know who says that? Good-looking jerks like you guys, the ones who've got it so easy because you happen to be handsome."

"Easy?" The hunters repeated simultaneously.

Wes nodded. "Yeah. Women – women look at you, right? They notice you."

Sam scoffed. "Believe us, we do not have it easy."

"We are miserable," Dean corrected. "We never get what we want. In fact, we have to fight tooth and nail just to keep whatever it is we got."

"But you know what?" Sam asked angrily. "Maybe that's the whole point, Wes."

"People are miserable," Amy added.

"Yeah," Dean agreed, "they're miserable bastards 'cause they never get what they really want."

Sam nodded. "Right, yeah, you get what you want, you get crazy."

"Take a look at Michael Jackson, hmm? Or Hasselhoff," Dean said.

Wes scoffed. "You know what? Hope loves me now – completely. And it's awesome." He gestured around the car. "Besides, look around. Where's all this, uh, insanity you guys were talking about?"

As soon as he said that, Dean pulled the Impala up next to a large van. The bullies from earlier were locked in, screaming in terror as the boy they had been chasing lifted the van like it was nothing.

"Well, that should cover it," Dean declared as they stared in shock while the boy tipped the van completely onto its side.

"That crazy enough for you, Wes?" Amy asked.

"Kneel before Todd! Kneel before Todd!" the boy shouted.

Dean quickly got out of the Impala as Todd started to rock the van back and forth. "Alright. I'll handle Todd. You guys get Wes to Lucky Chin's. Go!" He slammed the door shut.

Sam slid over to the driver's side. "Right."

"What the hell?" Wes asked as he leaned forward across the front seat, mouth agape at the sight outside.

"Like we said," Amy repeated, "crazy."

* * *

Five minutes later, Sam parked the Impala outside the Chinese restaurant.

"That – that – that kid turned over that car like – like it was nothing," Wes stuttered as he got out.

"You should have seen the teddy bear," Sam said with a scoff. "Now, come on. Fun's over. Time to pull the coin." Wes didn't move. "Wes!"

"Well, why can't we just get what we want?!" Wes yelled.

"Because the real world doesn't work that way!" Amy yelled.

"Because that's life, Wes," Sam said at the same time.

Amy suddenly felt an excruciating pain run through her entire body. She tried to move away, but couldn't. A brief moment later, her vision went black.

* * *

Amy didn't know how long she was out. Some time passed before she finally reopened her eyes. Amy looked over at Sam, who was also lying on the sidewalk next to her.

"You okay?" Sam asked.

"I think so," Amy said with uncertainty. "What happened? My whole body feels weird."

Sam looked around. "I think we died."

Amy didn't know how to respond.

Sam helped Amy up. A few moments later, Hope walked out of the restaurant, looking confused as she walked away.

Wes came out of the restaurant, reluctantly handing the coin over to Sam. After a silent nod, he walked away.

"So, the wishes should start going away now, right?" Amy asked.

"Hopefully, yeah," Sam agreed. He flipped the coin around in his hand. "Guess we should melt this thing down so no one can use it again."

The two of them got into the Impala and drove off. Sam called Dean on his cell.

"Dean?" There was a pause. "Hey, listen, we got the coin. Amy and I are on our way to melt it down now. Meet us at the pier."

"Where are we gonna melt a coin?" Amy asked. "And how?"

"You'll see."

Sam drove them back to the motel. They got out and Sam opened the trunk, pulling out a blowtorch.

"Of course there's a blowtorch in the trunk of the Impala." Amy sighed. "Why am I not surprised?"

It took several long minutes, along with Sam and Amy taking turns holding the blowtorch over the coin, but they finally got it melted down enough that it wasn't even recognizable as a coin.

"Well that took forever," Amy commented.

Sam laughed. "Tell me about it." He tried to pick the melted coin up, but it was already stuck to the ground.

"Leave it," Amy declared. "It's not like anyone can use it now anyway."

* * *

Sam drove the Impala to the pier with Amy in the passenger seat. When they arrived, Dean was sitting on a bench, reading the paper. Audrey walked by with her parents, who were severely sunburnt, and her now normal-sized teddy bear, which had a huge hole in the back of its head.

"Well, uh, the coin's melted down," Sam informed Dean. "It shouldn't cause any more problems."

"Audrey's parents are back from Bali," Dean noted, folding up the paper. "Looks like all the wishes are gone. And so are we."

Amy started to follow the Winchesters to the car. After a moment though, Dean stopped.

"Hang on a second," Dean said, stopping his brother.

"What?" Sam asked.

Dean hesitated before answering. "You were right," he stated.

"About what?" Sam asked, confused.

"I shouldn't have lied to you. I do remember everything that happened to me in the Pit. Everything," Dean admitted.

Amy let out a shaky breath and looked down, unsure of how to respond. She had no idea what hell was like, but anyone knew it wasn't sunshine and rainbows.

Sam sighed. "So tell me about it," he said quietly.

Dean shook his head. "No."

Sam looked at his brother in confusion. "Uh..."

Dean cut Sam off. "I won't lie anymore. But I'm not gonna talk about it."

Sam sighed. "Dean, look, you can't just shoulder this thing alone. You got to let me help."

"How?" Dean asked. "Do you really think that a little heart-to-heart, some sharing and caring, is gonna change anything? Hmm? Somehow... heal me? I'm not talking about a bad day here."

"I know that," Sam replied.

"The things that I saw... there aren't words. There is no forgetting," Dean said shakily. "There's no making it better. Because it is right here," he tapped his head, "forever. You wouldn't understand. And I could never make you understand. So I am sorry."

Dean ended the conversation there, getting into the car. Sam and Amy exchanged a glance, before quietly getting in as well. Without a word, Dean started the engine and pulled away, looking distraught as he stared out at the road ahead.


	19. I Know What You Did Last Summer

**November 8th, 2008 - Crown Hotel**

Sam and Dean had left Amy alone in their motel while they went to the bar. Amy had wanted to go with, but being only nineteen, they had told her to stay in the room.

The Winchesters had been gone a long time, and it was getting pretty late. Amy glanced at the clock, which read ten p.m. She sighed, wanting to fall asleep, but she had been instructed to stay awake in case the Winchesters needed to be let in.

* * *

Amy jolted awake as someone pounded on the door. She rolled over, looking at the clock. It was just after one in the morning.

"Crap," Amy said, rolling off the bed as either Sam or Dean knocked on the door again. "Coming!" she called out. She opened the door to find Sam and Dean standing outside. "Sorry," the girl muttered, "I must have dozed off."

Dean stormed into the room, brushing past Amy.

"Hey, I said I was sorry," Amy called after him.

"It's not you," Sam assured her.

"Oh," Amy muttered. "Did something happen at the bar?"

Amy's question was answered as Dean spun around to face them. "I cannot believe you'd rather listen to Ruby about this!" he shouted.

"Ruby?" Amy asked, shutting the door. "Okay, now I'm lost."

"Ruby showed up at the bar," Dean explained angrily. "Told us about a girl named Anna Milton who escaped from a psych ward, and Sam thinks we should listen to her."

"Anna Milton?" Amy asked, trying to remember who that was. Suddenly, she remembered. "Oh, Anna!" she recalled excitedly. "I'm sorry, Dean. Normally I'd be against listening to Ruby, but this time, I really think you should. Anna Milton is a girl that can..." Amy paused, not wanting to tell the brothers that Anna was an angel who had fallen. "...she can hear angels," she finally concluded.

"What?" Sam asked.

"Excuse me?" Dean asked at the same time, glaring at the young girl.

Amy nodded. "I remember this episode pretty clearly. Anna started hearing angels a few months ago."

"How come-"

Sam was cut off by Amy holding up her hand. "I'm gonna stop you right there," she stated. "I'm not gonna say why Anna can hear the angels, just that she can. And that she's important."

Dean made a frustrated sound. "Fine, we'll go check out the tip that the freaking demon left for us!"

He grabbed his bag roughly by the handle and walked out the door. Sam and Amy grabbed their bags as well, following Dean to the car.

* * *

"So, where is Anna supposed to be?" Amy asked as Dean drove down the highway.

"Connor Beverly Behavior Medical Center," Sam replied. "It's in Ohio."

"Yeah, which is a three-day drive," Dean grumbled.

Sam shook his head, pulling out his phone. He dialed a number.

"Hi, this is Doctor Donovan from Connor Beverly Behavior Medical Center," Sam said authoritatively after a moment. "I'm calling about a girl who was reported missing recently. Anna Milton." There was a pause. "Can I get a copy of the missing persons' report?" Another pause. "Great. Okay. Thanks."

Sam hung up the phone. "Well, Anna Milton's definitely real," he stated.

"Don't mean the case is real," Dean grumbled. "And this hospital's a three-day drive," he repeated.

"Anna is real, Dean," Amy insisted.

"Besides, we've driven further for less."

Dean rolled his eyes.

"You got something to say, say it," Sam snapped.

"Oh, I'm saying it," Dean said, "this sucks."

"You're not pissed we're going after the girl. You're pissed Ruby threw us the tip," Sam declared.

Dean scoffed. "Right. 'Cause as far as you're concerned, the hell-bitch is practically family. Yeah, boy, something major must've happened while I downstairs, 'cause I come back, and - and you're BFF with a demon?"

"I told you, Dean, she helped me go after Lilith," Sam argued.

"Well, thanks for the thumbnail. Real vivid," Dean snarked. "You want to fill in a little detail?"

"Sure, Dean, let's trade stories," Sam snapped. "You first. How was Hell? Don't spare the details."

Amy sank further into her seat, trying to avoid the thick tension that filled the air.

* * *

**November 10th, 2008 - Omaha, Nebraska**

They had been driving for two days. Amy had been sleeping in the backseat while Sam and Dean took turns driving the Impala. They hadn't stopped once to stay in a motel and had only had mini-mart breakfast burritos to eat. Amy was sore, tired, and hungry.

On the second day of driving, Amy leaned forward across the front seat. "Dean, we've been driving for two days straight. Can we please stop? I'm hungry."

Dean tossed her a sandwich. "Go nuts."

"Dean, come on, man!" Sam yelled exasperated. "You're exhausted, don't try and tell me you're not. I can see it in your eyes. Let's just stop somewhere for the night. We need to get some actual sleep."

"Alright, fine," Dean caved, "we'll stop."

* * *

Thirty minutes later, Dean pulled into the parking lot of Savory Suites Hotel. Amy groaned as she got out of the Impala, finally stretching her stiff legs.

They checked into their room and made their way inside. Amy immediately threw herself onto the soft mattress, letting her head sink into the pillow.

"I still don't understand why this Anna chick is so damn important," Dean muttered.

"I told you," Amy said, sitting up, "she's basically tapping into angel radio."

"Angel radio?" Sam asked.

Amy shrugged. "You guys came up with it, I'm just repeating it. But, yes, Anna is important."

"And yet, you still won't tell us why," Dean said.

"You wouldn't believe me if I did tell you," Amy replied.

"Try me!"

"You'll find out soon enough, Dean," Amy insisted. "I just need you to trust me. Please."

Dean grumbled angrily before sitting down at the table. "You better be right about this."

* * *

**November 11th, 2008 - Toledo, Ohio**

After getting some much-needed sleep, they were back on the road. Several hours later, Dean pulled the Impala into the parking lot of Blue Rose Motel.

Sam checked them into the room, and they made their way in.

"I already called the hospital," Sam informed them. "Told them we'd be in tomorrow to talk with them about Anna's disappearance."

"Sounds good," Amy said, stretching out onto her bed.

* * *

**November 12th, 2008**

The next day, Dean drove them to the hospital.

"I'm afraid there's not much I can tell you," the psychologist informed them as she led them down the hallway towards Anna's room. "Of course, I want to help, however I can."

"Now, the orderly has no recollection of Anna's escape?" Sam asked.

The psychologist nodded. "Apparently, she knocked him unconscious. The blow caused some amnesia. He doesn't even remember coming into her room."

Dean raised an eyebrow. "That's a hell of a right hook to knock out a guy that's got eighty pounds on her."

"We think she may have planned this, waited behind the door."

"How recently was Anna administered?" Amy asked.

"Two months ago," the psychologist replied. "Before that, she was happy, well-adjusted, journalism major, lots of friends - bright future."

"So, what happened," Dean asked, "she just... flipped?"

The psychologist shrugged. "Well, that's the tragedy of schizophrenia. Within weeks, Anna was overtaken by delusions."

"What kind of delusions?"

"She thought demons were everywhere." The psychologist handed Sam a sketchbook.

"Interesting," Dean noted

"It's not uncommon for our patients to believe that monsters are real."

"Well, that, that's just batty," Dean joked.

Sam flipped through the sketchbook. Sketches of a church window were on the first few pages. He flipped to the next page, where 'Rising of the Witnesses' was written above a drawing of one of the little ghost girls from that day.

"What the...?" Amy muttered.

The hunters exchanged a look before Sam flipped to the next page. On it was written 'Samhain the next seal is broken' above a closeup sketch of the demon they had hunted not long ago.

"That's Revelations," Dean said. Sam nodded.

"Since when does the Book of Revelations have jack-o'-lanterns?" the psychologist asked.

"It's a, uh, it's a little-known translation," Dean informed her.

The psychologist nodded. "Well, Anna's father was a church deacon. When she became ill, her paranoia took on religious overtones. She was convinced the devil was about to rise up and end the world. I hope you find her. It's dangerous for her to be out there alone right now."

"Don't worry," Sam assured the woman. "We will."

"You wouldn't happen to have Anna's home address, would you?" Dean asked. "That might be a good place for us to start our investigation."

The psychologist nodded. "Follow me."

* * *

After obtaining Anna's address, Dean drove them to the house. Amy flipped through the sketchbook on the way.

"So, Anna knows about the seals?" Sam asked.

Amy nodded. "Like I said, she can hear the angels. Pretty good chance the seals are all the angels are talking about."

* * *

Dean pulled up in front of the Milton house. He led them up the front porch and knocked on the door.

No one answered.

"Maybe they're not home," Dean guessed.

"Both cars in the driveway," Sam said, pointing to two white cars that sat next to them.

Dean tried the door handle, and the door swung open. Amy followed Sam and Dean inside.

"Mr. And Mrs. Milton?" Dean called out.

"We're from the sheriff's department," We just wanted to ask you a couple of questions."

Amy stopped in her tracks as she came across two bodies lying on the floor, blood pooling around their heads. "Found them," she groaned.

Sam sighed. "Great." He knelt down, putting his fingers in a yellow powder by the bodies. "Sulfur," he informed them. "The demons beat us here. Looks like this Anna girl is as important as Amy says."

"Yeah, they want her," Dean agreed. "They're not screwing around. All right, so, I'm Girl, Interrupted," Dean pondered, picking up some unopened letters, "and I know the score of the apocalypse, just busted out of the nut-box... possibly using superpowers, by the way. Where do I go?"

"Well, the psychologist said she was religious, right?" Amy asked. "And she says demons are after her." She flipped through the sketchbook, turning to one of the window sketches.

"If you were religious, scared, and had demons on your ass, where would you go to feel safe?" Sam asked.

"A church," Amy replied. "I think she was drawing a church window in these. That might be where she went."

Dean shrugged. "Let's go to church."

* * *

They drove around town, looking for the church where Anna might have been hiding.

"There it is," Amy said, pointing out a steeple that was hiding behind some trees.

Dean pulled the Impala up in front of the church.

"Think she's here?" Sam asked.

"She's gotta be," Amy said. "I can't think of any other place she would have gone besides her house."

"Alright, grab your guns," Dean instructed.

Amy made sure her pistol was loaded and followed Sam and Dean inside.

Amy quietly followed Sam and Dean upstairs, their guns drawn. They reached the attic, and a figure could be seen hiding behind some stained glass.

"Dean, Amy," Sam whispered, pointing his gun towards the glass.

"Anna?" Amy called out, putting away her gun. "We're not gonna hurt you. We're here to help."

"My name is Sam," Sam informed her. "This is my brother, Dean, and this is Amy."

"Sam?" Anna asked cautiously. "Not Sam Winchester?"

Sam and Dean exchanged a confused glance. "Uh, yeah."

Anna stepped out from behind the glass. "And you're Dean. The Dean?"

"Well, yeah. The Dean, I guess," Dean replied, still confused.

Anna looked at Amy next. "That must make you Amy," she concluded. "Formerly known as Emily."

Amy nodded. "Yeah, that - that's me."

"It's really you," Anna gasped. "Oh, my god." Anna started walking towards them. "The angels talk about you. You were in Hell, but Castiel pulled you out, and some of them think you can help save us," she said quickly. Anna turned to Sam and Amy. "And some of them don't like you two at all."

"They talk about you all the time lately," Anna continued. "I feel like I know you."

"So, you talk to angels?" Dean asked.

"Oh, no. No, no way," Anna replied, shaking her head. "Um, they probably don't even know I exist. I just kind of... overhear them."

"You overhear them?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, they talk, and sometimes I just... hear them in my head."

"Angel radio," Amy said.

"Exactly," Anna said with a nod.

"Can you hear them right now?" Dean asked.

Anna shook her head. "Not right this second, but a lot. And I can't shut them out, there are so many of them."

Dean nodded. "So, they lock you up with a case of the crazies when really you were just... tuning in to, as Amy said, angel radio?" he asked.

"Yes," Anna said, sighing in relief. "Thank you."

"Anna, when did the voices start? Do you remember?" Sam asked.

"I can tell you exactly - September 18th," Anna informed them.

"That's the day-"

"-I got out of Hell," Dean finished Amy's statement.

Anna nodded. "First words I heard, clear as a bell - 'Dean Winchester is saved.'."

"What do you think?" Dean asked his brother.

Sam scoffed. "It's above my pay grade, man."

"Well, at least now we know why the demons want you so bad," Dean informed Anna. "They get a hold of you, they can hear everything the other side's cooking. You're one nine-hundred angel."

Anna smiled at the joke. "Hey, um, do you know - are my parents okay? I - I didn't go home. I was afraid."

"Anna..." Amy began.

Before Amy could continue, Ruby rushed into the room. "You got the girl. Good, let's go," the demon yelled.

"Ruby?" Amy asked.

At the same time, Anna pointed at the demon, shrieking in terror. "Her face!"

"It's okay. She's here to help," Sam informed the angel.

"Yeah, don't be so sure," Dean replied.

"We have to hurry," Ruby snapped.

"Why?"

"Because a demon's coming," Ruby explained, "big-timer. We can fight later, Dean."

Amy scoffed.

"Well, that's pretty convenient," Dean snapped, "showing up right when we find the girl with some bigwig on your tail?"

"I didn't bring him here. You did," Ruby snapped back.

"What?" Dean and Amy asked simultaneously.

"He followed you from the girl's house," Ruby informed them. "We got to go now."

"Guys," Sam said, pointing in the corner.

Amy looked where Sam was pointing to see a statue bleeding from the eyes.

"Crap," Amy hissed.

"It's too late. He's here," Ruby informed them.

Amy grabbed Anna's arm. "Come on." She led the angel to a closet. "You'll be safe in here."

"Okay," Anna said with a nod. "Thank you."

Amy rejoined the Winchesters as Sam pulled out a flask of holy water.

"Sam, we don't have time for that," Amy told him.

"Sam, you gotta pull him right away," Ruby said at the same time.

"Whoa, hold on a sec," Dean said, holding up a hand.

Ruby glared at the hunter. "Now's not the time to bellyache about Sam going dark side. He does his thing, he exorcises that demon, or we die."

"And what if he can't," Amy yelled. "We might not have time for Sam to..."

Amy was cut off as the door was flung open, and a balding man entered the room. He approached them, running a hand along the banister, casually wiping off the dust. Sam put the flask away and held out his hand, closing his eyes.

The demon pretended to choke a little, before smiling. "That tickles," he sneered. "You don't have the juice to take me on, Sam."

With a flick of his wrist, the demon threw Sam down the stairs. Dean pulled out Ruby's knife and lunged at the demon.

Before Amy knew it, the demon was winning, pinning Dean to the pillar.

"Hello again, Dean," the demon said.

Amy's attention was drawn to Anna's screams as Ruby pulled her from the closet.

"What are you doing?" Amy asked Ruby.

"Getting her somewhere safe," Ruby informed her.

"Alastair," Dean spat, drawing Amy's attention back to them.

Sam jammed Ruby's knife into the demon's back, and he dropped Dean. The demon turned to Sam, a grin on his face. He reached towards the knife.

"You're gonna have to try a whole lot harder than that, son," the demon sneered.

Amy raised her hand, using her powers to twist the knife around. Alastair groaned and yelled in pain.

Sam nudged Dean, nodding his head towards a large stained glass window.

"Amy, let's go," Dean yelled.

"Oh, you have got to be kidding me," Amy said in disbelief as Sam and Dean began running towards the window.

Amy hesitated a moment before following Sam and Dean to the window. She leapt out the broken window, falling towards the ground instantly.

Sam and Dean were already on the ground by the time Amy jumped. Not wanting to break any bones, the young girl did the first thing she could think of and used her powers to slow herself down before hitting the ground. She quickly ran to the Impala after Sam and Dean, barely having any time to close the door before Dean sped off.

"Everyone okay?" Sam asked.

"Yeah," Dean replied before letting out a pained groan. "Less okay."

"I'm fine, too," Amy said, reaching up to touch a cut on her forehead. "Ruby has Anna, though," she reminded them.

"Ruby'll protect her," Sam said, his voice too tired to argue.

Dean didn't reply.

* * *

**Blue Rose Motel**

Dean sped back to the motel using only one hand. Sam had a gash on his left arm from the broken glass. He pulled out a fishing hook and some thread, using them to stitch himself up. Amy grabbed a washcloth from the bathroom, wetting it under the sink before pressing it to her cut.

Sam let out a pained breath as he dug the hook and thread through his skin.

"Are you almost done?" Dean asked his brother.

"I'm going as fast as I can," Sam snapped.

"Good, 'cause you know I got a dislocated shoulder over here," Dean reminded Sam as he picked up a bottle of whiskey and took a drink. "You okay, Amy?"

"Yeah, I'm okay," Amy replied. "Just got a cut. Don't think I need stitches, though."

"Yeah. I'll pop it back when I'm finished," Sam called back. He pointed to the bottle of whiskey. "Gimme that."

Dean handed over the bottle, and Sam poured it on his cut, groaning in pain as the alcohol hit the wound.

"So, you lost the magic knife, huh?" Dean asked, bracing himself on the bed as Sam walked over.

Sam chuckled. "Yeah, saving your ass. Who the hell was that demon?"

Dean shook his head. "No one good. We got to find Anna."

"Ruby's got her," Sam reminded his brother. "I'm sure she's okay." Sam placed his hands on his brother's dislocated shoulder. "All right. Come on. On three. One..." without counting any higher, Sam forced his brother's shoulder back into place.

Dean cried out in pain and surprise. "Are you sure about Ruby?" he asked. "'Cause I think it's just as likely she used us to find radio girl and then brought that demon in to kill us."

"No, she took Anna to keep her safe," Sam said, walking over to Amy. "Let me see that cut," he said.

Amy pulled the washcloth away, letting Sam examine her wound.

"You should be fine," Sam told her. "It doesn't look deep enough to need stitches."

Amy nodded, pressing the washcloth back onto the cut.

"Well, why hasn't she called to tell us where she is?" Dean argued.

"Because that demon is probably watching us right now, waiting to follow us right back to Anna again," Sam snapped. "That's why he let us go."

"You call this letting us go?" Dean asked as he began to salt the windows and doors.

"We got away, didn't we?" Amy asked

"Killing us would've been no problem to that thing," Sam agreed. "That's why, for now, we just gotta lay low and wait for Ruby to contact us."

"How's she gonna do that?" Dean asked. He paused, watching Sam pick up the whiskey and take a drink. "Why do you trust her so much?"

"I told you," Sam stated.

"You got to do better than that." Sam turned around. "Hey, and I'm not trying to pick a fight here," Dean continued. "I mean, I really want to understand. But I need to know more. I mean, I deserve to know more."

Sam took a deep breath. "Because... she saved my life," he admitted.

"How?" Amy asked.

Sam let out a heavy sigh before beginning his story. He explained how not long after Dean had died, Ruby had found him in a motel room and saved him from another demon. He recounted how Ruby had taken an empty vessel, a coma patient, and had taught Sam how to use his powers to exorcise demons.

Sam continued on as the sun began setting. He told them about how crappy of a student he had been and how many times he had failed to exorcise demons. He then began to ramble on, telling them about the sex he and Ruby had.

"Sam?" Dean interrupted as Amy stared awkwardly ahead.

Sam snapped back to reality. "Yeah?"

"Too much information," Dean said uncomfortably.

"Hey, I told you I was coming clean," Sam defended.

"Okay, but we didn't need you to come that clean," Amy emphasized.

Dean cleared his throat. "Okay, well, so far, all you've told me about is a manipulative bitch who, uh, screwed you, played mind games with you, and did everything in the book to get you to go bad."

Sam chuckled slightly. "Yeah, well, there's more to the story."

"Just... skip the nudity," Dean requested.

"Please," Amy added.

Sam sighed. "Pretty soon after... that, um... I put together some signs... omens."

"Omens?" Amy asked. "For what?"

"Lilith was in town," Sam explained. "And I wanted to strike her first."

Sam continued his story, telling them how Ruby had argued against him going after Lilith alone. He told them how, after arguing with the demon, Sam had gone off alone anyway, only to find himself in a trap.

"Ruby came back for me," Sam finished. "Whatever you have to say, she saved me. More than that, she got through to me. What she said to me... it's what you would've said. If it wasn't for her, I wouldn't be here."

No one said anything for several minutes. Dean sat there, taking in what Sam had just told them, while Amy watched, not knowing how to respond.

The silence was broken by a loud knock at the door.

"Housekeeping," a woman's voice called out.

"Not now!" Dean shouted, rolling his eyes.

"Sir, I've got clean towels," the maid insisted.

Dean opened the door in a huff. "Couldn't you just leave 'em at the door?"

The maid ignored him, handing him a stack of towels before walking to the window and closing the blind. She gave Sam a slip of paper. "I'm at this address."

Sam looked at the note, confusion flashing in his eyes. "I'm sorry. What?"

"Go now," the maid instructed, ignoring the question. She pointed towards the bathroom. "Go through the bathroom window, don't stop, don't take your car, don't pass go. There are demons in the hallway and in the parking lot."

Sam finally seemed to get it, staring at the demon in shock. "Ruby?"

Ruby huffed. "Okay, yes, so I'm possessing this maid for a hot minute. Sue me," she snapped.

"What about-"

"Coma girl?" Ruby interrupted. "Slowly rotting on the floor back at the cabin with Anna, so I've got to hurry back. See you when you get there."

No one moved. Sam looked back and forth between Dean, Amy, and Ruby as if unsure of what to do.

"Go!" Ruby snapped before hurrying out of the room.

Sam pocketed the note. "We better get going.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Dean said, stopping his brother. "We're just gonna listen to Ruby?"

"She has Anna, Dean," Sam reminded him.

"How do we know we're not just walking into a trap?" Dean asked. "Anna could be dead already."

"Why would Ruby risk coming here just to drag us into a trap?" Amy spoke up. "Anna is alive. But we might not have a lot of time before any of those demons out there get in here."

"Alright, fine!" Dean snapped. "You guys wanna trust Ruby so much? Let's get going."

Dean grabbed his duffle bag, and the three hunters made their way into the bathroom. Sam opened the window, sticking his head out to make sure the coast was clear.

"All clear," he informed them before quietly crawling through. After he was through, Sam turned back to them. "Alright, Amy, you next."

Amy swung her leg through the window, taking Sam's hand as he helped her through. Dean crawled out last, shutting the window behind him.

"Let's get going before any of those demons notices we're missing."

They walked down the street a few miles towards the address Ruby had given them.

* * *

About twenty minutes later, they arrived at a small wooden cabin.

"Anna better be in there," Dean growled, "alive."

"She will be," Sam insisted.

Sam led them to the wooden door, pushing it open.

"Glad you could make it," Ruby greeted as they walked inside the dark building. Anna was sitting on a couch against the wall.

Sam nodded. "Yeah, thanks." He looked over at Anna. "Anna, are you okay?"

"Yeah. I think so," Anna replied. She smiled. "Ruby's not like other demons. She saved my life."

"Yeah, I hear she does that," Dean acknowledged. "I guess I...you know," he began.

Ruby crossed her arms. "What?"

"I guess I owe you for... Sam," Dean continued, stumbling over his words. "And I just wanted... you know..."

"Don't strain yourself," Ruby smirked.

"Okay, then," Dean said with a nod. "Is the moment over?

Ruby sighed, rolling her eyes.

"Good, 'cause that was awkward."

"That was even more awkward to watch," Amy said with a laugh.

"Hey, Sam, you think it'd be safe to make a quick call, just to tell my parents I'm okay?" Anna asked quietly. "They must be completely freaked."

"Uh..." Sam began.

"What?"

"Anna," Amy said, "I'm so sorry." She sat on the couch next to the angel. "Your parents...we went to see if you were at your house before we found you at the church and...your parents-"

"What about them?" Anna asked.

"I'm sorry, Anna," Amy whispered.

Anna finally seemed to get what Amy was implying. "No, they're not..."

"Anna, I'm sorry," Sam apologized.

"Why is this happening to me?" Anna began sobbing.

"I don't know," Sam admitted.

Anna suddenly cried out in agony as she put her hands on her head. "They're coming," she whimpered.

The lights started flickering. "Backroom," Dean instructed.

Sam hid Anna in the back room.

Amy grabbed her shotgun, making sure it was loaded with as many rounds as possible.

"Where's the knife?" Ruby asked as she dug through Dean's duffle bag.

"Alastair has it," Amy informed the demon. "We had to jump out the church window while it was lodged in his back."

"You're kidding," Ruby said in disbelief.

"Hey, don't look at me," Dean said with a smirk.

"Or me," Amy added.

"Thanks a lot, guys," Sam snapped.

Dean grinned.

"Great," Ruby replied sarcastically. "Just peachy. Impeccable timing, guys, really."

Before anyone could do anything else, the door burst off its hinges. A moment later, Castiel and Uriel walked in.

"Please tell me you're here to help," Dean pleaded. "We've been having demon issues all day."

"Well, I can see that," Uriel replied. "Do you want to explain why you have that stain in the room?"

"We're here for Anna," Castiel said bluntly.

"Well, you're not getting her," Amy snapped, raising her gun.

"Stop talking. Give her to us," Uriel snapped.

"Are you gonna help her?" Sam asked.

"No, she has to die," Castiel informed.

"I'm sorry, what?" Amy asked.

"You want Anna?" Sam asked. "Why?"

"Out of the way," Uriel growled, stepping forward.

"How about no?" Amy asked threateningly.

Dean put a hand up. "Whoa, whoa, whoa," he said. "Okay, I know she's wiretapping your angel chats or whatever, but it's no reason to gank her."

"Don't worry. I'll kill her gentle," Uriel sneered.

Dean chuckled. "You're some heartless sons of bitches, you know that?"

"As a matter of fact, we are," Castiel stated. "And?"

"And?" Sam cried out in disbelief. "Anna's an innocent girl."

"She is far from innocent," Castiel snapped.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sam asked.

"It means she's worse than this abomination you've been screwing," Uriel yelled. "Now, give us the girl."

"Not happening," Amy insisted.

"Get yourself another one. Try JDate," Dean joked.

"Who's gonna stop us?" Uriel asked. "You three? Or this demon whore?" Uriel threw Ruby against the wall. Dean lunged at the angel.

"Cas, stop...please," Sam pleaded.

Castiel didn't reply as he placed a hand on Sam's forehead, and Sam fell to the ground.

Amy lunged at Uriel, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck as the angel punched Dean in the face.

Uriel threw Amy off of him effortlessly.

"I've been waiting for this," the angel sneered.

Amy moved to attack again as Dean got to his feet. Before she or Dean could do anything, a bright light filled the room. When it was gone, Castiel and Uriel had vanished.

"What the..." Dean started to ask as he helped Ruby to her feet.

"Angel banishing sigil," Amy informed them, remembering it from the show. "Anna must have done something."

Sam started to stir on the floor, and Ruby knelt down by him. Amy and Dean ran into the backroom to find Anna, her arms and hands covered in blood.

"Anna. Anna!" Dean cried out at the sight.

"Dean," Amy said, pointing to a sigil on a mirror. One she recognized all too well.

"Are they - are they gone?" Anna asked.

"Did you kill them?" Dean asked.

"No, they're alive," Amy recalled. "The sigil only sends them away."

"You want to tell me how?" Dean asked.

Anna pointed to the sigil. "That just popped in my head. I don't know how I did it. I just did it."

Dean stared at Anna for a moment, as if contemplating what she had told him. Without another word, he turned around, walking out of the room. After a moment, Amy followed Dean back to the main room.

"So, what do you think?" Dean asked Sam.

Sam scoffed. "I think Anna's getting more interesting by the second."

"Yeah, I agree. And what did they mean by "she's not innocent"?" Dean asked.

"No clue," Amy replied, "but whatever the reason, it must be serious."

"It seems like they want her bad, and not just 'cause of the angel radio thing," Sam agreed. "I mean, that blood spell - Some serious crap, man."

"Something's going on with her. See what you guys can find out."

"What are you gonna do?" Sam asked.

"Anna may have sent the angels to the outfield, but, sooner or later, they're gonna be back," Dean explained. "We got to get ourselves safe now." He turned around, joining Anna and Ruby in the back room.

Sam sighed before following his brother out of the cabin. A moment later, he returned with his laptop and sat at the table.

Amy peered over Sam's shoulder as he opened up Google and started a search for anything he could find on Anna.

"Okay, how the hell do you have wifi here?" Amy asked. "We're in the middle of nowhere, and this place is abandoned."

Sam laughed. "I hacked into the wifi network," he explained.

"Oooooh," Amy said. "That explains so much." She sat down in the chair across from Sam. "In the show, you always seemed to have wifi everywhere you went. I'm pretty sure most fans were starting to theorize that your hair had something to do with it."

"My hair?" Sam asked.

Amy sighed. "Don't ask. No one knew how you managed to get internet everywhere, so some pretty crazy theories began popping up."

* * *

Sam and Amy spent a little while digging up anything they could find on Anna.

"Huh," Sam suddenly said, leaning back in his chair.

"What?" Amy asked.

"Get this," Sam began, "looks like that hysteria episode wasn't her first. She had one when the was two and was convinced her dad wasn't her real dad. Said he wanted to kill her."

"A two-year-old said that?" Amy asked almost a little too loudly.

Dean re-emerged from the back room. "Everything okay?" he asked.

"Yeah," Sam replied, closing his computer. "Did you call Bobby?"

"Yeah, he said we could figure things out at his place," Dean informed them. "It's a half-day drive to Bobby's place. If we leave now, we should make it by morning."

"What did Bobby say about all this?" Amy asked.

"He doesn't know what to think."


	20. Heaven and Hell

**November 13th, 2008 - Bobby's house**

Amy sat in the backseat between Anna and Ruby as Dean drove them to Singer's Salvage Yard. Sam immediately left to go print out what they had discovered about Anna.

"Bobby's got a panic room," Dean explained as he led Anna down the steps to the basement. "It'll keep us safe from the angels and demons until we can figure out what's going on."

"Bobby?" Amy called out as Dean, Ruby, and Anna disappeared downstairs. "You up here?" When there was no answer, she followed the others downstairs.

Ruby was standing outside the panic room while Dean and Anna sat inside.

"Iron walls coated in salt," Dean was saying as he ran a hand along the walls. "Demons can't even touch the joint."

"Which I find racist by the way," Ruby added as Amy stepped past her.

Amy rolled her eyes, ignoring the demon. "On the plus side," she told Anna, "it'll give us time to figure out what's going on."

Ruby pulled out three hex bags, tossing them to Dean.

"Hex bags?" Dean asked.

Ruby nodded. "Extra crunchy. It'll hide us from demons, angels, all comers."

Amy took a hex bag from Dean. "Perfect."

"Thanks, Ruby," Dean said with a nod. He handed one to Anna. "Don't lose this," he instructed.

Anna nodded as she put the hex bag in her pocket.

"So, Anna, what's playing on Angel radio?" Dean asked. "Anything useful?"

Anna shook her head. "It's quiet. Dead silence."

"Well, that's probably a good thing," Amy muttered.

"Yeah," Dean said sarcastically, "it's not troubling at all."

"We're in trouble, aren't we?" Anna asked.

"Nah," Dean replied with uncertainty.

Sam's voice came from upstairs, indicating his return. "Hey, Dean, Amy!" he called. "You down there?"

"That was fast," Amy commented. She started heading towards the stairs.

"Just stay here, okay?" Dean instructed Anna before following Amy up the stairs. "Keep an eye on her, okay?" he asked Ruby.

* * *

Dean and Amy made their way upstairs, where Sam was waiting.

"How's the car?" Dean asked instantly.

Sam rolled her eyes. "I got her. She's fine," he informed Dean. "Where's Bobby?"

"Uh, the Dominican," Dean said as they walked through the kitchen. "He said we break anything, we buy it."

"He's working a job?" Sam asked.

"God, I hope so," Dean replied. "Otherwise, he's at hedonism in a banana hammock and a trucker cap."

"Thank you so much for that mental image, Dean," Amy groaned.

"What did you two find on Anna?" Dean asked, gesturing to the file Sam was holding.

"Uh, not much." Sam laid the contents of the file out on the table. "Her parents were, uh, Rich and Amy Milton - a church deacon and a housewife."

"Riveting."

"And it turns out the latest psych episode wasn't the first," Amy added. "She had one when she was two and a half."

"What happened?" Dean asked.

"When she was two and a half, she'd get hysterical any time her dad got close," Sam explained. "She was convinced that he wasn't her real daddy."

"Who was? The plumber, hmm?" Dean joked. "A little snaking the pipes?"

Amy shook her head. "Dean...reality. Porn."

"Look, Anna didn't say," Sam continued. "She just kept repeating that this real father of hers was mad. Very mad - like wanted-to-kill-her mad."

"Kind of heavy for a two-year-old," Dean said.

"Well, she saw a kid's shrink, got better, and grew up normal," Sam explained.

"Until now. So, what's she hiding?" Dean questioned.

"Why don't you just ask me to my face?"

Amy spun around to find Anna and Ruby standing behind them.

Dean glared at Ruby. "Nice job watching her."

Ruby shrugged. "I'm watching her."

"No, you're right, Anna," Sam said, turning to the red-head, "is there anything you want to tell us?"

"About what?" Anna asked.

"The angels think you're guilty of something," Amy explained. "We just wanna find out what."

"You tell me," Anna said with a shrug. "Tell me why my life has been leveled." Her voice began to shake, "why my parents are dead. I don't know. I swear. I would give anything to know."

"Okay," Sam said, trying to calm Anna down. "Then let's find out."

"How?" Anna asked.

"Pamela might be able to help," Dean realized. "She's a few miles away. I can bring her back here, maybe she can shed some light on this whole thing."

"Okay, yeah, good idea," Sam agreed.

"I'll call Pamela, let her know I'm on my way. You guys stay here, watch after Anna?"

"Sounds good," Amy said. "See you in a bit."

* * *

Dean grabbed his keys and headed out the door.

"It's getting pretty late," Amy noted. "Dean will probably be gone for a long time, so I'm gonna try and get some sleep until he gets back."

Sam nodded. "Okay, yeah. I'll keep an eye on Anna."

"Thanks, Sam." Amy headed up the stairs, opening the door to the all-too-familiar bedroom she had grown accustomed to over the past year and a half. She slipped into a pair of sweatpants and a loose-fitting t-shirt before climbing into bed and fell asleep.

* * *

Amy looked around. She was standing in the middle of an empty warehouse, no clue as to how she got there.

"What the hell?" Amy muttered to herself as she walked around.

"Amy," a gruff voice said.

Amy turned around to find Castiel standing behind her. She sighed. "Should have known I was dreaming. What do you want?"

Castiel looked around. "What are you dreaming about?"

Amy shrugged. "An empty warehouse apparently. I have no clue."

"Where are you?" the angel asked.

"I told you," Amy nearly snapped, crossing her arms. "I have no clue."

"I meant in the real world."

Amy scoffed. "Like I'd tell you."

Castiel stepped forward. "Tell me. Now," he demanded, his eyes flashing with anger.

"I'm not letting you get your hands on Anna," Amy hissed.

"I will find out where you are," Castiel informed her.

"Whatever," Amy said, shaking her head. "You're still not getting Anna."

Castiel stood there, staring Amy down, but she held her ground. A moment later, the angel vanished.

**November 14th, 2008**

Amy sat up in her bed, the dream still fresh in her mind. It was now daytime outside, which meant Dean would be returning any time now if he wasn't back already.

As if on cue, a knock sounded at the door.

"Hey, you in there?" Ruby called out from the hallway.

"Uh, yeah?" Amy asked, slightly confused as to why Ruby had come up to get her. She opened the door. "Dean back?"

"Sam and Dean are down in the panic room with the psychic," Ruby informed her. "They sent me up here to get you. Said you were probably asleep."

"Uh, thanks," Amy acknowledged. "I'll be right down."

* * *

Amy followed Ruby down to the panic room. Ruby stood outside the room as Amy stepped inside the iron-coated room.

"Hey, Pamela," Amy greeted.

Pamela smiled. "Amy. How are you?"

"Fine," Amy stated simply.

Pamela looked at Amy, and the white plastic balls in her eye-sockets seemed to stare into her soul.

"Uh, is something wrong?" Amy asked.

Pamela shook her head. "There's just something about you. I can't quite put my finger on it."

"Well, okay then," Amy said. "I don't really know what to say about that."

Sam cleared his throat. "So, Pamela, how does this work?"

"Well," the psychic replied, "I should be able to dig into Anna's mind. It shouldn't be too difficult to figure out what's going on."

"So, what do I need to do?" Anna asked.

"I just need you to lie down on that bed over there and just relax."

Anna did so, and Pamela pulled up a chair next to the bed.

"Okay, Anna," Pamela said in a quiet voice. "Nice and relaxed."

Anna took a deep breath as she relaxed on the bed.

"Now," Pamela continued, "I'm going to count down from five to zero. When we're at zero, you'll be in a deep state of hypnosis. As I count down, just go deeper and deeper, okay? Five... four... three... two... one. Deep sleep. Deep sleep. Every muscle calm and relaxed. Can you hear me?"

"I can hear you," Anna replied.

"Now, Anna, tell me," Pamela asked, "how can you hear the angels? How did you work that spell?"

"I don't know," Anna replied. "I just did."

"Your father," Pamela continued, "what's his name?"

"Rich Milton."

Pamela nodded. "All right. But I want you to look further back... When you were very young... Just a couple of years old," she instructed.

Anna squeezed her eyes tighter. "I don't want to," she said, her voice shaking slightly.

"It'll be okay. Anna," Pamela promised, "just one look - that's all we need."

"No."

"What's your dad's name?" Pamela asked again. "Your real dad. Why is he angry at you?"

Anna began thrashing around. "No. No! No. No!"

"Calm down," Pamela instructed.

"He's gonna kill me!" Anna screamed.

"Anna, you're safe," Pamela assured the woman.

"No!" Anna screamed again. The lights in the room began to explode.

"Calm down," Pamela said louder.

"He's gonna kill me!" Anna repeated.

"It's all right, Anna," Pamela promised.

"Anna?" Dean asked, walking towards the thrashing woman.

"Dean, don't," Pamela warned.

Without any warning, Dean was suddenly thrown across the room, crashing into the wall.

"Wake in one, two, three, four, five," Pamela said quickly. Anna immediately calmed down and woke up. She sat up on the bed. "Anna... Anna?" Pamela asked. "You all right?"

"Thank you, Pamela," Anna acknowledged. "That helps a lot. I remember now."

"Remember what?" Sam asked.

"Who I am."

"I'll bite. Who are you?" Dean asked.

Anna looked around the room. "I'm an angel."

"And, there it is," Amy commented.

No one replied to Amy's statement. The room fell so silent, you could hear a pin drop. Pamela gulped uneasily at the news as Anna sat there, looking around at them. Nobody knew what to say as they processed the news Anna had told them. After a beat, Anna ran out of the room, quickly followed by the others.

* * *

They found Anna pacing back and forth in Bobby's study.

"Don't be afraid," the angel said when she saw them all standing there, "I'm not like the others."

"I don't find that very reassuring," Ruby said.

"Neither do I," Pamela added, leaning on the desk.

"So...Castiel, Uriel - they're the ones that came for me?" Anna asked.

"You know them?" Sam asked.

"We were kind of in the same foxhole," Anna explained.

"So, what, were they like your bosses or something?" Dean asked.

Anna smirked. "Try the other way around."

"Nice!" Amy exclaimed.

"But now they want to kill you?" Pamela asked.

"Orders are orders." Anna sighed. "I'm sure I have a death sentence on my head."

"Why?" Pamela asked.

"I disobeyed... which, for us, is about the worst thing you can do," Anna explained. "I fell."

"Meaning?" Dean asked.

"She became human," Amy replied.

"Wait a minute. I don't understand. So, angels can just become human?" Sam asked.

Anna nodded. "It kind of hurts. Try cutting your kidney out with a butter knife. That kind of hurt. I ripped out my grace."

"Come again?"

"My grace," Anna repeated. "It's... energy. Hacked it out and fell. My mother, Amy, couldn't get pregnant." She smiled. "She always called me her little miracle. She had no idea how right she was."

"So, you just forgot that you were God's little Power Ranger?" Dean asked.

Anna nodded. "The older I got, the longer I was human, yeah."

"I don't think you all appreciate how completely screwed we are," Ruby cut in.

"Ruby's right," Anna agreed. "Heaven wants me dead."

"And Hell just wants her," Ruby shrugged. "A flesh-and-blood angel that you can question, torture, that bleeds." The demon looked over at Anna. "Sister, you're the Stanley Cup. And sooner or later, Heaven or Hell, they're gonna find you."

"I know," Anna said. "And that's why I'm gonna get it back."

"What?" Sam asked.

"My grace," Anna explained.

"Do you remember where it is?" Amy asked.

Anna shook her head. "Lost track. I was falling about ten thousand miles per hour at the time."

Sam straightened up, looking more alert. "Wait. Do you mean falling, like, literally?"

"Yes."

"Like the way a human eye can see? Like a comet, maybe, or a meteor?" Sam continued

"Why do you ask?" Anna asked.

"I think I know how we can find your grace," Sam explained.

"Looking for meteorites that flew over where Anna was born in eighty-five?" Amy asked.

Sam nodded. "Exactly."

"I need to get some air," Anna announced. She turned out of the room and headed outside.

"I should get home, myself," Pamela said.

"I'll drive you home," Dean offered.

"Can I come with?" Amy asked.

Dean nodded. "Yeah, sure." He grabbed the Impala keys. "We'll be back."

* * *

Dean helped Pamela into the passenger seat as Amy climbed into the back.

The trip to Pamela's house was silent. Dean walked Pamela to her front porch while Amy waited in the Impala for him to return.

It wasn't until they were driving back to Bobby's house that the silence was broken.

"So, you knew Anna was an angel, huh?"

Amy looked confused. "Huh?"

"Back at Bobby's place," Dean clarified, "when Anna told us what she was, you didn't look shocked or anything."

"Yeah, I knew Anna was an angel," Amy admitted. "I wasn't sure at first, but when she drew the angel-banishing sigil the other day, that pretty much confirmed it. Only angels know how to do that."

"Hmm." Dean nodded. "Why didn't you say anything?"

"A lot was going on," Amy said, shrugging. "And I wasn't too sure if you'd believe me."

"Well, do me a favor," Dean told her, "next time, just tell us, okay? Even if you aren't sure or you think we won't listen for any reason, just tell us. Because chances are, you'll be right, and it'll save us a lot of time. Deal?"

Amy nodded. "Deal."

"Okay, while we're on that, is there anything we should know?"

Amy thought for a moment. "I could be wrong, but-"

Dean cut her off. "Hey, remember what I said. Even if you think you're wrong, just say it."

"I'm pretty sure one of the angels already has Anna's grace," Amy continued. "It's been ages since I watched this episode, even long before I met you guys, but I think I remember that one of the angels, either Castiel or Uriel, already has it."

"Okay, good," Dean acknowledged. "Anything else?"

Amy shook her head. "No, nothing."

Dean gave her a disapproving look.

"I swear," Amy insisted, holding up her hands, "that's all."

"Alright," Dean said. "That's good. It helps us a lot."

Amy nodded but didn't say anything as she turned her head to look out the window.

* * *

They arrived back at Bobby's late that night. Sam was in the study with Ruby, looking through books and old magazines.

"Hey," Sam said as soon as Dean and Amy walked into the room. "I think I know where Anna's grace is."

"Yeah, so do we," Dean cut in. "Cas or Uriel, one of them already has it."

"What?" Sam asked. "How could you-"

Dean cut Sam off again. "Amy," he stated simply. "She knew Anna was an angel this whole time. Said wherever it was before, it's gone now."

Ruby cocked an eyebrow. "And, we're just supposed to believe that?"

Sam and Dean exchanged a look, both hesitating to say anything.

"Amy, uh," Dean began, "she knows things, some things, before they happen."

"How?" Ruby pushed.

Amy sighed. "Maybe we should just tell her. It'll make this a whole lot easier."

"No," Dean snapped. "She doesn't deserve to know."

"Well, I'm here," Ruby said, "and now I know you're hiding something from me, so you may as well spit it out."

Sam sighed. "Amy's not exactly from around here."

"What does that mean?" Ruby asked.

"It means I'm from another universe," Amy explained, much to Dean's annoyance. "One where all of this is a TV show. All of what's happening with Anna, I've seen it before."

Ruby huffed. "And you two knew about this?"

Sam nodded. "Yeah, we did."

Ruby raised her voice. "And you're just now saying something?"

"Yeah," Dean snapped, "because we didn't want you to know."

Sam held up a hand. "But, now, you do know. And we can use this to our advantage. Get a head start even."

Ruby sighed. "Okay. So, since we apparently just wasted all that time looking for nothing, what's the new plan?"

"Maybe we should get Anna in here first," Amy suggested. "She still outside?"

Sam nodded. "Yeah."

"I'll go get her," Amy offered. She didn't give anyone time to protest before hurrying outside.

* * *

Amy found Anna sitting on the hood of one of the many cars in the junkyard. "Anna?"

Anna turned around at her name. "Hey, Amy," she greeted.

"Hey. Uh, we're trying to come up with a plan. Thought you might wanna come inside so we could all figure something out together."

Anna nodded. "Yeah, sure. Did you find my grace?"

"Uh, not exactly. It's not where it was before. Cas or Uriel, probably Uriel, already took it."

Anna scoffed. "Figures."

"Really?" Amy asked. "You're not gonna ask how I could know that?"

"I know who you are," Anna explained. "The angels have talked about you. About how you know the future. You knew I was an angel this whole time, didn't you?"

Amy nodded. "Yeah, I did. Sorry, I should have said something."

"No, it's okay," Anna assured her, "if I knew all the things you knew, I don't think I would just run around telling everyone either."

Amy sat on the hood next to Anna. "To be honest, I'm still trying to figure all this out. Even after all this time."

"What do you mean?" Anna asked.

"I mean, the things I know. You being an angel, Dean being pulled out of Hell by Castiel, even things that haven't happened yet, I could tell Sam and Dean if I wanted to. It would probably make things a lot easier, but I don't know what'll happen if I do. I could tell them about something bad that'll happen in the future, so they can be prepared, but if I do that, then something else might happen. I prevent one thing, and something equally or more catastrophic happens."

"Must be hard."

Amy scoffed. "Hard barely scratches the surface of what this feels like. There are so many things I haven't told them."

"Like Gabriel?" Anna asked.

"You know about that?"

Anna let out a small laugh. "A lot of angels know about that."

"Well, do me a favor and don't tell Sam or Dean. I promised Gabe I wouldn't blow his cover."

Anna laughed. "Deal. We should probably get inside, right?"

Amy nodded. "Before they come out looking for us."

* * *

Amy and Anna made their way back inside.

"Okay," Dean said as soon as everyone was in the study, "We still got the hex bags. I say we head back to the panic room."

"That's the plan you came up with when I was getting Anna?" Amy asked.

"Well, you got any better ideas?" Dean snapped.

Amy thought for a moment. "It's risky, but-"

"But what?"

"But what if we brought the angels and demons together?" Amy finished.

Sam turned to Anna. "Anna... Do you know of any weapon that works on an angel? To what? To kill them?"

"Well, there's an angel blade," Amy recalled.

Anna nodded. "But we can't get to it right now." She suddenly put a hand to her head. "Um... guys?" she asked. "The angels are talking again."

"What are they saying?" Sam asked.

"It's weird, like a recording... a loop. It says, "Dean Winchester gives us Anna by midnight, or..." Anna paused.

"Or what?"

"...or we hurl him back to damnation," Anna finished.

"Okay, wait, wait. I say we call Bobby," Dean suggested. "We get him back from hedonism."

"Dean, what's he gonna tell us that we don't already know?" Sam asked.

"I don't know, but we gotta think of something!" Dean snapped.

"What if we went with Amy's plan?" Sam asked.

"You want to bring angels and demons together in the same room?" Dean asked.

"I know it sounds crazy," Amy said, "but it might work."

Ruby scoffed. "How?"

"We let them fight," Amy replied. "It'll distract them long enough for Anna to get her grace back." She paused. "Hopefully."

"Hopefully?" Dean asked.

"Hey, it worked in the show, it's bound to work again."

"And you're sure about this?" Sam asked.

Amy nodded. "Positive."

"You guys really think that'll work?" Ruby asked.

Sam and Dean shrugged.

"I don't know, but if Amy says it'll work, I believe her," Dean said.

Ruby scoffed. "If you say so."

"Ruby, can you handle the demon delivery?" Sam asked.

Ruby nodded. "Yeah."

"Wait, wait, wait," Dean said, "we're not gonna bring them all here to Bobby's place, are we?"

"No, Dean's right," Amy agreed. "We'll need a place to get them to all go to."

"There's an abandoned barn a couple of hours from here," Sam suggested.

"That'll work," Amy agreed.

"I'll handle the demon delivery," Ruby said. "You guys get Anna to that barn and get the angels there."

Sam nodded. "See you there."

A moment later, Ruby disappeared.

"Sam, where's this barn?" Amy asked.

"It's a few hours up the highway," Sam repeated.

Dean nodded. "Let's get going then."

* * *

Dean drove down the highway with Sam, Anna, and Amy in the car. Before long, they reached the barn. Dean parked the Impala near some trees off to the side, and they headed inside.

"So, I guess we should burn these hex bags then," Dean said, pulling the hex bag Ruby had given him out of his pocket.

Amy pulled her hex bag out too. "Sam, you got a lighter?"

"Uh, yeah." Sam pulled a lighter and his hex bag out as well.

Dean took everyone's hex bags away from them and handed them to Sam, who burned them with the lighter, dropping the flaming hex bags to the ground.

Anna sat on a chair as they waited for something to happen.

Sam sighed. "I don't know, man. Where's Ruby?" he asked Dean as he paced around the room.

Dean scoffed. "Hey, she's your Hell buddy." He pulled out a flask and took a drink from it.

"Little early for that, isn't it?" Anna questioned.

Dean shrugged. "It's two a.m. somewhere." He took another drink from the flask.

"Are you okay?" Anna asked softly.

Dean nodded. "Yeah, of course."

Before anyone could say anything else, the barn doors burst open, and Castiel and Uriel entered.

"Hello, Anna," Castiel greeted. "It's good to see you."

"You guys really shouldn't have burned those hex bags," Uriel said with a laugh.

"Guess we were just tired of running," Sam said.

Anna walked up to Dean, kissing him on the cheek. "You did the best you could," she whispered. She turned back to the angels. "Okay. No more tricks. No more running. I'm ready."

"I'm sorry," Castiel told her.

Anna shook her head. "No. You're not. Not really. You don't know the feeling."

"Still, we have a history. It's just-"

"Orders are orders," Anna finished. "I know. Just make it quick."

Amy looked around, wondering if she had messed something up, and Ruby wasn't going to get there in time with the other demons when the doors behind the hunters burst open.

Alastair and two other demons appeared, dragging a bleeding Ruby behind them.

"Don't you touch a hair on that poor girl's head," Alastair demanded.

The hunters and Anna quickly moved out of the way as the angels and demons began to argue.

Uriel stepped closer to the demons. "How dare you come in this room," Uriel sneered, "you pussing sore?"

Alastair tossed Ruby into a hay bale next to him. "Name-calling. That hurt my feelings." He sneered. "You sanctimonious, fanatical prick."

"Turn around and walk away now," Castiel demanded.

Alastair nodded. "Sure. Just give us the girl." He smirked. "We'll make sure she gets punished good and proper."

"You know who we are and what we will do." Castiel stepped forward as well. "I won't say it again, leave now... or we lay you to waste."

Alastair smirked. "Think I'll take my chances."

Castiel, Uriel, Alastair, and the other demon stared each other down for a moment. Suddenly, Uriel lunged for one of the demons, and the fighting began.

Uriel smashed the demon into a pillar, causing it to collapse. He punched another demon away as it came up from behind.

Castiel punched Alastair in the face several times, before putting a hand on the demon's forehead and trying to exorcise the demon, to no avail.

Alastair smirked. "Sorry, kiddo. Why don't you go run to daddy?

Uriel put a hand on another demon's forehead. The demon screamed as it was exorcised.

Alastair pinned Castiel to the ground, placing a hand around the angel's throat. " _Potestas inferna, me confirma_ ," he chanted. " _Potestas inferna, me confirma. Potestas inferna, me confirma_!"

Dean grabbed a crowbar, swinging it at Alastair and knocking him away from Castiel.

Alastair stood back up. "Dean, Dean, Dean... I am so disappointed. You had such promise."

The demon held a hand out, and Amy instantly felt her lungs start to close up. She fell to the ground, struggling to get any oxygen into her body.

Anna rushed up to Uriel as he began to exorcise the last demon and grabbed a glowing vial from around his neck.

"No!" Uriel yelled as Anna threw the vial on the ground. The glass shattered, and white light flowed into her mouth.

"Shut your eyes. Shut your eyes!" Anna yelled as she began to glow brightly. "Shut your eyes!"

Amy covered her eyes as a blinding light erupted from Anna. The light was gone as quickly as it had come, and when Amy opened her eyes again, Alastair was gone.

Dean picked up Ruby's knife. "Well, what are you guys waiting for?" he asked. "Go get Anna. Unless, of course, you're scared."

"This isn't over," Uriel said as he took a threateningly step forward.

Castiel put a hand on Uriel's shoulder, stopping him. Dean smirked. "Oh, it looks over to me, junkless."

Castiel and Uriel disappeared.

"Are you okay?" Sam asked as Ruby walked over to them.

Ruby groaned. "Not so much."

"What took you so long to get here?" Dean asked.

Ruby scoffed. "Sorry, I'm late with the demon delivery. I was only being tortured," she said sarcastically.

Dean nodded. "Well, I gotta admit, Amy. Bringing them all together was a pretty damn good plan."

Amy smiled. "Thanks, Dean."

"I guess when you got Godzilla and Mothra on your ass, best to get out of their way and let them fight," Sam said.

Amy sighed. "So, I guess we won't be seeing Anna for a while, huh."

Sam nodded. "She's some big-time angel now, huh?"

Dean nodded, but Amy could see tears forming in his eyes.

"She must be happy," Sam continued, "wherever she is."

"I doubt it," Dean said, his voice shaking slightly.

"Well, I better get out of here," Ruby told them.

"See you around," Sam said. Ruby nodded before disappearing, leaving the hunters alone in the barn.

* * *

**November 15th, 2008**

The sun was coming up as they left the barn. Dean pulled out three beers, handing one to Sam and one to Amy.

"Oh, no," Amy protested, "I can't."

"Come on," Dean insisted. "You earned it."

Amy smiled as she took the drink. "Thanks." She took a sip, wincing at the bitter taste.

"I can't believe we made it out of there," Dean said with a slight laugh.

Sam scoffed. "Again."

Dean took a sip of his beer and sighed. "I know you heard him," he said finally.

"Who?" Sam asked.

"Alastair," Dean replied. "What he said... about how I had promise. I know you both heard him."

Sam nodded. "I heard him."

"I heard him too," Amy told him.

"You guys aren't curious?" Dean asked.

"Of course we are, Dean," Amy admitted.

"But you're not talking about Hell," Sam finished, "and we're not pushing."

Dean took another sip of his beer. "It wasn't four months, you know," he admitted.

"What?" Sam asked.

"It was four months up here," Dean explained, "but down there... I don't know. Time's different. It was more like forty years."

"My God," Sam said breathily.

"Dean, I-" Amy didn't know how to finish.

Dean hesitated. "They, uh... They sliced and carved and tore at me in ways that you... Until there was nothing left." He took a deep breath. "And then, suddenly... I would be whole again... like magic... just so they could start all over."

Dean's voice began to shake. "And Alastair... at the end of every day... every... one... he would come over. And he would make me an offer. To take me off the rack... if I put souls on... if I started the torturing. And every day, I told him to stick it where the sun shines."

Amy looked at the ground as she listened to Dean tell them about his time in Hell. She let out a shaky breath.

"For thirty years, I told him. But then I couldn't do it anymore, Sammy. I couldn't," Dean continued. "And I got off that rack. God help me, I got right off it, and I started ripping them apart. I lost count of how many souls." A tear rolled down Dean's cheek. "The - the things that I did to them."

Dean stopped talking as he started to sob.

"Dean... Dean, look, you held out for thirty years," Sam told his brother. "That's longer than anyone would have."

Amy nodded. "It's longer than I would have," she added.

"How I feel," Dean said as tears ran down his face, "this... inside me... I wish I couldn't feel anything, Sammy. I wish I couldn't feel a damn thing."

Amy put an arm around Dean, trying to bring him comfort. "It's okay," she said in a soothing voice. "You'll be okay."

Dean's entire body started to shake as he sobbed harder.

' _We're here for you_ ,' Amy thought, making a silent promise to Dean.


	21. After School Special

**December 10th, 2008 - Fairfax, Indiana**

They were looking into a case involving a girl who had suddenly gone crazy and drowned another girl in a toilet at their high school. Amy sat in the backseat of the Impala as they waited for Sam to come back from questioning the suspect, who had claimed to be possessed during the ordeal.

Dean was absent mindedly flipping through his dad's journal, looking for anything that might be helpful. He closed the journal as the passenger door opened, turning his attention to Sam.

"So?" Dean asked.

Sam cleared his throat. "I think she's telling the truth," he said. "I mean, the way she talked about being there mentally but not physically. Kind of sounds like demonic possession to me."

"Kind of?" Dean echoed.

"She didn't see any black smoke or smell sulfur," Sam explained.

"So, not a demon, then?" Amy asked.

"Kids can be vicious," Dean pointed out.

"Well, I mean, we're already here." Sam sighed. "Might as well check out the school."

Dean paused for a while. "Right," he finally said. "The school."

"What?" Sam asked.

"Truman High, home of the Bombers," Dean continued with fake enthusiasm.

"What's your point?" Sam asked.

"I mean, we went there, like... for a month a million years ago. Why are you so jazzed to go back?" Dean asked.

"I'm not," Sam defended. "I just think it's worth looking into."

Dean nodded. "All right, well, what's our cover? FBI? Homeland Security? Swedish exchange students?"

"Dean, do you even know any Swedish?" Amy asked.

"Well...no," Dean admitted.

"Don't worry. I got an idea," Sam informed them.

"You, uh, mind sharing that idea?" Amy asked.

Sam nodded. "I will," he promised. "When we get back to the motel."

Dean nodded, a little unnerved by his brother's tone. "Okay," he finally said as he started up the engine and drove away from the mental hospital.

* * *

When they got back to the motel, Sam opened up his laptop and began working on something.

After a while, Sam cleared his throat. "Okay."

"Can we finally hear this plan?" Amy asked.

"I figured out a way to get us into the school," Sam explained. "School gym teacher is getting married in Massachusetts, so they're looking for a new one."

"I can take that one," Dean offered.

Sam nodded. "And as of five minutes ago, their janitor won an all-expenses-paid trip to the Bahamas. I'll take his place. We should be starting on Friday."

"And what about me?" Amy asked.

"I found the records for a student named Amelia Wilson. Homeschooled until now, but recently transferred to Truman High."

"I'm going back to school?" Amy asked. She groaned. "Come on, I already escaped Hell before I met you, I don't want to go back."

Dean shifted uncomfortably in his seat at the mention of Hell.

"Sorry, Dean," Amy apologized. She turned back to Sam. "Isn't there something else I could do?"

Sam shook his head. "Nothing that would make sense. I know you're nineteen, but you do look like you're around fourteen or fifteen. You'd blend right in with the other students."

"Fine," Amy said reluctantly. "But don't expect me to enjoy it."

"I didn't say you had to," Sam told her. "It'll only be for a week or so until we can figure this out. Deal?"

Amy sighed. "Deal," she agreed reluctantly. "What classes will I be taking?"

"Algebra, Chemistry, History, P.E., the usual," Sam listed. He handed Amy his laptop. "You just need to choose two electives you want to take."

"Can do," Amy said as she took Sam's laptop. She scrolled through the list of electives until one, in particular, caught her eye. "They have a creative writing class?" she asked. "That was one I wish we had at my school."

"Creative writing, huh?" Dean asked.

Amy shrugged as she checked off the box. "I like writing," she admitted.

Amy read through the other electives, checking the box next to the theater class, before handing the paper back to Sam.

"Okay," Sam said. "Your first class starts tomorrow. We'll take you to the store sometime today to get what you need."

"Come on, man, she doesn't need anything," Dean protested.

"She'll be taking classes, Dean," Sam argued. "She'll need supplies and a backpack."

"I actually agree with Sam," Amy added. "If I'm gonna be going to school, I'll need to look the part, right?"

Dean groaned. "Fine. But we're only getting the basics. Pencils, erasers, and a few notebooks. Sam, she can borrow your backpack, right?" he asked, gesturing to the black backpack leaning against the wall.

Sam nodded. "Yeah, that's fine."

Amy dug around in her bag for her wallet. "I've got twenty bucks," she informed them, "that should be enough to get what I need. The Target down the street closes in a few hours. I can walk down there and buy my supplies."

"Okay," Dean said. "I'll drive you."

Amy rolled her eyes. "Dean, it's just a block or so down the street. You can see it from the motel room. I don't mind walking."

"By yourself?"

"I'm an adult, Dean. I can walk down a sidewalk. Besides, I used to walk home from school all the time, and that was at least two or three miles."

"Didn't you take the bus or get picked up by your guardian?" Sam asked.

"I got picked up during elementary and middle school," Amy explained. "But I joined a swim team in high school, so I had to take the sports bus home. Sometimes I missed it and just decided to walk home instead."

Dean looked at his watch. "Well, if you're gonna go to the store today, you better get going before it closes."

Amy stuck her wallet and cell phone in her jacket pocket. "See you guys in a little while."

"Be careful," Dean told her.

Amy didn't reply as she walked out of the motel room and started her walk down the street.

* * *

It was a twenty-minute walk to the store. Amy grabbed a basket on her way in and made a beeline towards the school supplies.

Amy grabbed a pack of mechanical pencils and an extra pack of lead to go with them, along with a pack of erasers. She stuck a binder in the basket along with them and then turned to the notebooks. She grabbed five different colored notebooks for her core classes and dropped them in the basket along with everything us.

After grabbing the basics, she added up the prices of what she had. Figuring she had plenty left over, she grabbed a calculator and some binder paper before making her way to the check out line.

"Find everything okay?" the cashier asked.

Amy nodded as she pulled the twenty-dollar bill from her wallet. "Yes," she said.

"Sixteen fifty-one," the cashier told her.

Amy handed over the twenty dollars, and the cashier handed over her change and bags. Having only spent ten minutes in the store, Amy began the twenty-minute walk back to the motel.

* * *

"That was fast," Sam told her as she entered the motel room.

"Yeah, it was a pretty short walk to the store." Amy placed the bags on her bed. "Can I go ahead and put these in the backpack, then?"

Sam nodded. "Go for it."

"Where's Dean?" Amy asked as she emptied her shopping bags.

"Went out to get us something to eat," Sam explained.

Amy spent some time getting her supplies ready. Sometime later, Dean returned with cheeseburgers, beer, and pie.

"What time do my classes start tomorrow?" Amy asked as she took a burger. "And don't I have to get, you know, registered?"

"Seven-thirty," Dean told her. "And don't worry. Amelia Wilson is already registered. You're just taking her place."

Amy nodded. "Got it." She sighed. "Just when I thought I was done with school, I get dragged back in."

* * *

**December 11th, 2008 - Truman High**

The next morning, Dean drove her to the school. The Impala idled in front of the tall building as Amy stared up at it, hesitant to get out.

"You okay?" Dean asked.

"Yeah," Amy replied, nodding, "I just...I didn't exactly have the best experiences at my high school."

"Hey, you'll be okay," Dean assured her. "Remember, it's only for a week, maybe less. Then we'll leave, and you can put all of this behind you."

Amy sighed. "Yeah, you're right."

"Besides," Dean continued. "This definitely isn't the Amy we've come to know over the past year."

Amy smirked. "Oh yeah? And, uh, who is the Amy you've come to know over the past year?"

"Well, I'm pretty sure the Amy we've gotten to know is confident, doesn't let anyone get in her way and push her down, is willing and brave enough to stand up for herself." He paused. "You'll be okay," he repeated. "I know you will."

Amy smiled. "You're right." She grabbed the strap of her backpack. "I better get going. See you later?"

"I'll be here when you get out. And don't forget what we're really here for," Dean said. "Keep an eye out for anything that could help us with this case, if there even is a case. I'll be by this afternoon to pick you up."

Amy nodded as she opened the car door. "Will do. Later, Dean." She climbed out of the car, shutting the door behind her as Dean sped off.

* * *

Amy walked into the school, looking around for the main office. She quickly spotted it, not far from the main entrance, and headed inside.

"Can I help you?" the woman behind the counter asked.

"Uh, yeah, I'm new," Amy explained. "I was told to come here and get my schedule."

"Name?" the woman asked, pulling out a folder.

"Amelia Jon-," Amy quickly corrected herself, "uh, Amelia Wilson."

The woman pulled out a sheet of paper. "Here you are. Your locker number is 109. The combination is on the back of your schedule. What size gym uniform are you?"

"Uh, small," Amy replied.

The woman handed her a uniform consisting of a white shirt and red shorts.

"Thank you." Amy headed back out to the hallway before looking at the paper she was given. Each class was fifty-five minutes long, with a ten-minute break after the second class and a half-hour lunch after her fourth, getting her out for the day by two-thirty.

Her first class was Creative Writing with Ms. Thompson. The class began in ten minutes, but first, she needed to find her locker. Amy started her walk down the long hallway.

'106, 107, 108...' Amy quickly found her locker and put the combination in, opening it on the first try. She stood there, staring into the empty locker.

'Why did I come here?' she wondered to herself. 'I don't even have any books to put in the locker. What was even the point of this?' She sighed, closing the empty locker back up again before looking at the schedule again.

"First day?" someone asked.

Amy turned around to see a boy standing behind her, smiling. "Is it that obvious?"

"Pretty much," the boy said. "I'm Eric." He held out his hand.

Amy shook Eric's hand. "Amy," she introduced herself.

"What class are you going to?" Eric asked.

"Creative Writing," Amy replied.

"With Ms. Thompson?"

"Uh, yeah," Amy confirmed.

"What a coincidence," Eric told her. "I'm heading to that class as well. I'll walk you."

* * *

"So, did you just move here?" Eric asked as they walked down the hall.

"Kinda," Amy replied. "I was homeschooled until recently."

"Homeschooled?" Eric echoed. "Wow. What was that like?"

"Kinda boring, to be honest," Amy said, making up everything as she went. "I didn't exactly sit in a classroom filled with people I could talk to or sit with at lunch."

"Well, first day, and you already know one person," Eric said.

"You got a point there."

* * *

They reached the classroom and walked in. A woman was writing something on a chalkboard. She turned her head towards the door as Amy and Eric walked in.

"You must be Amelia Wilson," Ms. Thompson said, walking up to them, "or do you prefer Amy."

"Uh, Amy's fine."

"I'm Ms. Thompson," her teacher said. "I'll be your Creative Writing teacher this semester." Before Amy could say anything else, Ms. Thompson walked her over to the front of the room.

'Please don't make the grand announcement, please don't make the grand announcement.'

"Class?" Ms. Thompson addressed the class, who all turned to face her. "This is Amelia Wilson. She'll be joining our class for the remainder of our school year."

Amy tried to ignore the silent stares she got from the other students.

"Okay. Why don't you go on ahead and take your seat next to Mr. Sutton in the back."

Amy nodded and began making her way down the aisle. Students continued to stare at her as she sat down next to Eric. She averted her gaze towards her desk, silently hoping they would stop.

Most of the class was spent with classmates going up to the front of the classroom to read what they had written the night before.

Amy tapped on Eric's shoulder, leaning towards him so he could hear her. "Do we have to do this every class?" she whispered.

"You mean, read our paper to the entire class?" Eric asked. Amy nodded. "Yeah, but don't worry. You'll get used to it."

Amy didn't say anything as she sat back up, her mind flashing back to her real time at high school before meeting Sam and Dean.

* * *

**October 22nd, 2014 - Bell High School**

Amy sat in her sophomore English classroom, anxiously tapping her foot as her teacher droned on. They had been given a creative essay assignment earlier that week, and now had to read them to the class.

The teen looked up as her name was finally called. She took a deep breath and made her way up to the front of the class, trying to avoid the several pairs of eyes that seemed to stare into her soul.

Amy clutched her paper tightly as her heart pounded in her chest. No one was even paying attention to her anyway. Half the class was on their phone, and the others were whispering amongst themselves. Her teacher sat in the back of the class, a pen in his hands as he waited for Amy to start reading.

Amy began reading the words in front of her. The words seemed to disappear from the page as she tried to get through. She knew she was reading too fast, and that she was mumbling, but she just wanted it to be over. Her hands trembled as she neared the end of the paper, and she let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding as she finally read the last word.

Her teacher didn't say anything, or if she did, Amy didn't hear it. She just wanted to sit back down. Finally, her teacher nodded, pointing his red pen towards her chair. Without another word, Amy walked down the aisle of desks, her eyes aimed towards the floor as her teacher called the next student up to read.

* * *

**December 11th, 2008 - Truman High**

Amy had been so focused on the anxiety she felt when she had to stand in front of an entire class, that she barely noticed that class was almost over. Eric nudged her shoulder to get her attention when Ms. Thompson began assigning the homework.

"Your homework tonight is to write about a time you felt different or alone," Ms. Thompson told them as the bell began to ring. "This will be handwritten and due tomorrow."

Amy grabbed her bag and followed the class out the door.

"Hey, Amy, what class do you have next?" Eric asked as he caught up with her.

Amy looked at her schedule and groaned. "Algebra. Room 208."

"Man, tough break," Eric said. "I've got P.E. next."

"Looks like I don't have that 'til after lunch."

"Room 208 is down that way." Eric pointed down the hall behind Amy. He pointed behind himself next. "Gym is this way for when that class comes up. I'll come find you at lunch if I don't see you again before."

"Cool, thanks," Amy said. She started walking down the hallway towards her next class. "See ya."

* * *

Algebra class seemed to go on forever. After the class was over, Amy slipped into an empty classroom, pulling out her phone to call Dean during the break.

"Hey, Amy," Dean greeted through the phone.

"Hey, you guys find anything out yet?" Amy asked.

"Nothing yet," Dean informed her. "What about you?"

"No, nothing. But, hey, I wanted to call you while I had a chance because I was thinking. What if it's not a demon we're going after?"

There was a pause on the other line. "Hold on," Dean said after a moment, "I'm gonna put you on speaker."

A brief moment later, Sam's voice came through. "Hey, Amy, what were you just saying?"

"I said, what if it's not a demon we're going after," Amy repeated.

"What do you mean?" Dean asked.

"Well, ghosts, if they get angry enough, can possess people, right?" Amy asked, pacing up and down in front of the chalkboard.

"Well, I mean, they would have to get really angry, but it is technically speaking possible."

"Do you really think we could be dealing with a ghost possession?" Dean asked.

"Well, I mean, think about it," Amy replied. "No sulfur, no black smoke, but that girl at the hospital swore up and down she was possessed. If I'm wrong, I'm wrong, but check to see if anyone died at this school. I've gotta get to my next class, but I'll call you guys when I'm at lunch."

"Okay, we'll look into it," Sam said, "bye, Amy."

"Bye, guys." Amy hung up her phone as the bell indicating the end of the short break ended. She left the classroom and checked her schedule. The theater class was next in room 210, right next to her math class.

* * *

Amy made it to her next class with seconds to spare. Theater was a class she was actually happy to take. Public speaking was a big no-no for her, but when she was on stage, pretending to be someone she wasn't all those fears seemed to vanish.

She poked her head inside the large classroom. Twenty chairs sat bunched together in a group near the back, leaving a wide, open space in the front. A woman sat behind a desk as the students filed in.

"Are you Mrs. Perrin," Amy asked.

"Yes," the woman replied, extending her hand, "you must be Ms. Wilson. Welcome."

"That's me," Amy confirmed.

"I won't go through the grand introduction that I'm sure you've already gone through today, so you can go ahead and find an empty seat."

Amy sat down, and the class began.

* * *

They did a lot of improv during the class, something Amy just happened to be good at. She stood in front of the class, as she and another boy in the class improvised a scene together. The scene they were making up, ironically, included ghosts. Another student, Alex, was playing the part of the spirit Amy's character couldn't see. Alex stood off to the side, near an open door, waiting for the right moment to slam it closed

"You've gone mad," Amy said in a British accent as she folded her arms. She wasn't sure where the accent had come from. It was just something that came to her at the last moment. "Absolutely mad."

"I - I haven't, I swear," Henry stuttered. "Please, just listen to me."

Amy crossed the room, getting in Henry's face. "Listen to you? You want me to listen to the insane story that you can see ghosts, Charles? Ghosts. Don't. Exist."

"I know you don't believe me, but it's true," Henry insisted. "Just let me prove it to you, please."

Amy huffed, turning around, so her back was to Henry. "I'm going out for a walk," she said calmly. "When I get back, I want you to either forget all of this nonsense about ghosts or leave."

"Helen, please," Henry insisted, grabbing Amy's arm, "just listen for one second. He turned to Alex. "Please do something, Elena!" he pleaded. "Help me."

Alex rolled her eyes and slammed the door closed. It slammed shut with a loud bang.

Amy looked at the door, getting a fearful look on her face. "What the hell was that?" she asked.

"Elena," Henry informed her, "I told you I wasn't lying."

Amy shook her head. "It was obviously the wind or something."

"Well, can wind do that?" Henry asked, pointing to the back of the room.

Amy looked to where Henry was pointing to see Alex walking towards her, balancing a book on her head, and carrying a vase in one hand and water pitcher in the other. She got an even more fearful look on her face as Alex got closer. Amy let out a blood-curdling scream, falling to the ground as the lights in the classroom came back on.

"Where on earth did you learn how to do that?" Ms. Perrin asked as Amy stood back up.

"I grew up with a lot of older and younger sisters," Amy explained. "We used to make up plays all the time and perform them when we got bored. We'd make props and costumes out of whatever we could find and then just...act out the scenes we had written."

* * *

Amy called Sam and Dean back after her History class.

"Hey, I'm at lunch now," she informed them as Dean answered the phone, "so I can talk a bit longer. You guys find anything?"

"Yeah," Dean confirmed, "looks like you were right. Some kid named Barry Cook died in that school. Slit his wrists in the first-floor girl's bathroom."

"Barry Cook?" Amy asked.

Sam's voice came through the speaker. "Yeah, he was a student when Dean and I attended that school. He had a pretty hard time. Got bullied a lot."

"Does murdering people sound like something he would do, though?" Amy asked.

Sam sighed. "I don't know," he admitted.

"Either way," Dean continued. "If there's a chance that there's a ghost at the school, we gotta get rid of it. Skip the rest of your classes. Sammy and I will find out where Barry is buried, and then I'll be by after lunch to pick you up so we can go torch some bones."

"Okay," Amy replied. "Sounds good."

"Nice work, Amy," Dean praised before hanging up.

* * *

Amy hurried off to the cafeteria. She walked inside, grabbing a tray for her food. After getting her lunch, she turned around, searching through the crowd for Eric.

A waving hand gathered her attention. Amy looked over to see Eric waving her over to the table where he was sitting with a group of friends. She quickly made her way over.

"Hey, there you are," Eric said as she approached. "What took you so long?"

"Had to make a phone call," Amy explained.

They talked about how their day had been so far, but not much else. After lunch, Amy didn't go to her last two classes, instead choosing to slip into the girl's bathroom and wait for Dean's text that he was outside.

* * *

The text came ten minutes later. Amy checked to make sure the coast was clear before hurrying down the empty hallway and out the front entrance.

"So, Barry is buried in a cemetery not too far from here," Dean explained. "We're gonna go ahead and head out there right now. Hopefully, burning these bones puts a stop to all this."

Amy nodded. "Yeah, hopefully."

* * *

**Fairfax Cemetery**

They reached the cemetery twenty minutes later. Dean handed Amy a shovel as he and Sam took one for themselves before the three hunters made their way inside.

Amy walked down a row of graves as she searched for Barry's name on any of them. Sam and Dean walked down the other rows on the other sides of her.

"Hey guys," Sam called out. "Think I found something."

Amy hurried over with Dean to find Sam standing in front of a grave, which read:

**Barry Cook**

**1983-1998**

Amy sighed. "Poor kid," she muttered.

"Yeah," Sam agreed quietly.

"Alright," Dean said, "let's get this over with."

The grave was only big enough for two people, so they took turns digging. Night was starting to fall as Amy stood in the grave with Sam as she helped him dig. She was just about to switch with Dean, when her shovel hit the coffin.

Amy and Sam exchanged a glance before Amy hopped out of the grave to let Sam open the coffin. Sam struck the wood a few times with his shovel until it cracked open, before climbing out of the grave as well.

Amy gagged and cover her mouth as the stench began to reach her nostrils. Most of the flesh was still attached to the skeleton, which only made it look more grotesque.

"Ugh," Dean gagged, "let's get this over with."

Amy poured salt on the body as Sam poured lighter fluid over it. When they were done, Dean lit a match, dropping it into the grave.

"So long, Barry Cook," Dean said as the body burst into flames. Amy let the heat from the fire warm her up, rubbing her hands together as the cold air whipped around them.

* * *

When the flames finally died down, Amy helped Sam and Dean shovel the dirt back into the grave. She followed them back to the car, placing her shovel in the trunk of the Impala before climbing into the backseat. Sam and Dean got into the front, and Dean pulled away from the cemetery.

"You all right?" Dean asked, turning to Sam, who hadn't said a word since they had driven away from the cemetery.

Sam sighed. "Barry was my friend. I just burned his bones," he admitted.

"Well, he's at peace now, Sam."

Sam continued on. "I mean, if Dad had let us stay just a little while longer, maybe I could have helped the kid, you know?"

"You read the coroner's report, same as me," Dean reminded his brother. "Barry was on every anxiety drug and antidepressant known to man. School was hell for that kid. His parents had split up. He just wanted out. It was tragic, but it's not your fault. To tell you the truth, I'm glad we got out of that town. I hated that school."

"It wasn't all bad," Sam admitted.

Dean shot Sam a glance. "How can you say that after what happened to you?" he asked.

Sam didn't reply, as he turned his head to look out the window.

* * *

**December 12th, 2008 - Truman High**

"Remind me again, why we had to come back here?" Amy asked as she looked back up at the high school. "We burned Barry's bones."

"It's just a precaution," Dean told her. "We gotta make sure everything's good here before we just pack up and leave. Sam's already inside, checking the school for EMF, but until we know it's safe, we're staying an extra day or two."

Amy sighed. "Alright." She grabbed her backpack. "I better get going. See you during gym, I guess."

Dean nodded. "And remember, it's coach Roth while we're in there, and we don't know each other."

Amy nodded back. "Got it." She opened her car door. "Later, Dean." She slammed the door closed before hurrying inside the school.

Amy's classes seemed to flash by today, as she waited anxiously to get out. It wasn't until her History class, before lunch, that something finally happened.

A blood-curdling scream rang out through the school. Amy instantly kicked into hunter mode and dashed out of the room, ignoring her teacher's orders to return to the classroom as she followed the screams that continued through the halls.

Amy reached the Home Economics classroom at the same time as Sam, who was dressed in a janitor's uniform. She pushed her way through a crowd of students who were hurrying out of the same classroom. A boy inside the room collapsed to the ground just as Sam reached him. A black goo like substance began to run out of the boy's ears.

"Is that-?" Amy asked.

Sam nodded. "Ectoplasm," he confirmed. "Looks like Barry wasn't our ghost."

"Did you and Dean find any reports on someone besides Barry, who died in the school?"

Sam shook his head. "No. Barry was the only one. That we could find, at least."

"There's gotta be something we missed, then."

* * *

A school-wide, nonviolence assembly was called during lunch. Amy skipped it to search the school with Sam for EMF again, but Dean was required to attend, promising to meet up with them once he was able to sneak out.

Amy searched one side of the school while Sam searched the other. She waved her EMF meter around as she walked down the hallway, but so far, had found nothing. As she turned the corner, she spotted Sam, coming up on the other side and hurried up to him.

"Find anything?" Sam asked as she approached.

Amy shook her head. "Nada. You?"

"No, nothing," Sam replied. "Dean still in the assembly?"

"Doesn't look like it," Amy said as she spotted Dean coming up behind Sam.

Sam turned around as Dean met up with them. "How's the nonviolence assembly going?" he asked.

"Apparently, shoving a kid's arm into a Cuisinart is not a 'healthy display of anger'," Dean informed them. "So, the kid had ectoplasm leaking out his ear?"

Sam nodded. "Looks like Amy was right about it being ghost possession."

"But we were wrong about who the ghost was," Amy added. "Are you guys sure there wasn't anyone else who died in this school?"

Dean shook her head. "We checked every record. The only person who died inside this school was that kid, Barry Cook. There's gotta be something we missed." Without another word, Dean began walking towards the main entrance. Sam and Amy exchanged a glance, before following him out to the Impala.

Dean pulled out the file on Barry Cook once they were back in the car, and began reviewing it. "No way," he finally said.

"What is it?" Amy asked, leaning across the front seat to get a good look.

"Check it out." Dean started pointing to some names in the file. "Look, Martha Dumptruck and Revenge of the Nerds - they rode the same bus."

"So, what?" Sam asked. "The bus is haunted?"

Dean shrugged. "Well, that would explain why there's no EMF at the school, but not the attacks," he said. "I mean, ghosts are tied to the places that they haunt. They can't just bail."

"But if they possess a person, can't they go as far as they want?" Amy asked. "At least until they leave whoever they're possessing?"

"It's possible," Sam confirmed. "I mean, there's lore about ghosts possessing people and riding them for miles. Then, whenever they leave the body, they're bungeed back to their usual haunt. But until then, the ghost can go wherever it wants."

"So, a spook just grabs a kid on the bus and walks right into Truman?" Dean asked.

"It's possible."

Dean scoffed. "Ghosts getting creative. Well, that's super. Alright, well, we better check out this ghost before school gets out."

* * *

Within ten minutes, Amy found herself standing in the bus.

Sam pulled out his EMF and moved towards the back of the bus, a sawed-off in his hand. The EMF was buzzing, red lights flashing on the top. "Definitely ain't clean," he told them.

"Here, ghosty, ghosty," Dean called out. He hit the metal roof with the barrel of his gun.

Amy scoffed. "Yeah, I'm sure that'll work, Dean. Keep trying."

Sam glanced up. "I don't get it. I mean, no one ever died on a bus, and it's not like there's a body hidden here."

"Yeah," Dean agreed, "but a flap of skin, hair, hell, a hangnail. Something's gotta be tying the ghost to this place."

"I doubt we're gonna find something that small, though."

Dean moved to the front of the bus and began rifling through the compartments. "Hey," he called out.

"What?"

"Got a driver's permit, issued three weeks ago."

Sam walked up to the front of the bus. "Just before the first attack."

"Yeah." Dean showed them the permit. "Name of the driver is Dirk McGregor Sr., thirty-nine North Central Avenue."

"McGregor?" Sam repeated.

Dean looked up. "Yeah, why?"

"I knew his son," Sam admitted.

Dean looked at his brother in disbelief. "Did you know everyone at this school?"

Sam chuckled in half-amusement but didn't say anything.

Dean shook his head. "Let's go talk to this McGregor guy, then." He led the way out of the bus and back to the Impala.

* * *

It was a twenty-minute drive to McGregor's house. Sam introduced himself as someone who knew Dirk Jr. in high school, and they were led into the house. They took a seat on the couch across from the old man.

"So, you were friends with Dirk?" Mr. McGregor asked Sam curiously.

Sam nodded. "Yes, in high school."

"I don't recall Dirk having many friends at Truman," the old man replied in a puzzled tone.

Amy gave the old man a comforting smile. "He sounds like a great kid, though," she said, making up a lie on the spot, "these guys talk about him a lot."

"So, when did Dirk pass?" Dean asked, trying to sound compassionate about the subject.

"He was eighteen," Mr. McGregor replied.

"What happened?" Sam asked sadly.

Mr. McGregor got a sorrowful look on his face. "Well, first, drinking, then drugs, then, too many drugs, and he just slipped away through my fingers." He looked down at the floor. "It was my fault," he admitted, "I should have seen him coming, you know?" He glanced back up at the trio. "Dirk, he, uh - well, he had his fair share of troubles."

"What kind of troubles?" Dean asked.

Mr. McGregor sighed. "School was never easy for Dirk. We didn't have much money, and well, you know kids - they can be cruel. They picked on him."

Sam's eyes widened in confusion. "They picked on him?" he repeated.

Mr. McGregor nodded sadly. "They called him poor and dirty and stupid. They even had a nickname for him. Dirk the jerk." He sighed. "And after what happened to his mother..."

"His mother?" Sam asked, feeling guilty.

"Yeah, Jane, my wife," the old man admitted in a heartbroken voice. "She died when Dirk was thirteen. Cancer. I was working three jobs, so it fell to Dirk to take care of her. And he was a great kid. He made sure Jane got her medicine. He helped her, cleaned up after her. But, you know, you - you watch somebody die slowly, waste away to nothing... it does things to a person. Horrible things."

"Must have been awful," Amy said sadly.

"I didn't know about his mother," Sam said in a guilt-stricken voice.

The old man shook his head. "He wouldn't talk about her," he admitted. "Lots of anger in that boy."

"I'm sorry," Sam apologized.

The room became quiet. The sound of a ticking clock was the only noise that filled the air for a brief moment.

"Mr. McGregor," Amy said softly, "we would love to pay our respects to your son. Would you mind telling us where he was buried?"

The old man smiled kindly at her. "Oh, he wasn't. I had him cremated."

"All of him?" Dean wondered out loud.

Mr. McGregor cast a suspicious look at Dean. "Well, I kept a lock of his hair," he admitted.

"Oh, that - that's nice. Where do you keep that?" Dean asked carelessly.

Mr. McGregor gave him a hard expression. "On my bus, in my Bible."

Dean just nodded his head and smiled.

The trio excused themselves from the household and made their way to the Impala. Dean sped down the road to the school, so they finally put an end to Dirk's ghost.

* * *

Dean sped into the school parking lot, only to find that the bus had already left.

"Damn it," he swore. "Okay, you guys wait here, I'll go find out where that bus is going."

Not leaving any room for argument, Dean ran inside the school. Amy leaned against the window as she and Sam sat in silence, waiting for him to return.

* * *

Ten minutes later, Dean came back out. He got into the Impala and handed Sam a slip of paper.

"They're heading to a football game a few miles from here," Dean informed them.

"I know where that is," Sam said, pointing to the destination on the paper, "there's only one road that leads up that way."

Dean nodded. "Lead the way, Sammy." He started the engine and pulled back out of the parking lot.

* * *

Dean drove a few miles ahead of the bus, parking the Impala on the side of the road, far enough ahead so they could get ready.

Amy helped Sam drench a rope in saltwater while Dean laid out spike traps on the road.

"You get Dirk," Dean instructed his brother as they waited for the bus. "Amy and I will get the hair."

Amy nodded as she made sure her sawed-off was loaded. "Got it."

* * *

Five minutes later, two headlights appeared down the road. They were approaching quickly.

"Alright," Dean said, "get ready." They hid behind the Impala as the bus approached.

The bus sped over the spike trap, and the tires burst, causing the bus to swerve before coming to a stop.

Sam walked up to the bus as a middle-aged man stepped out. He cocked his shotgun. "Dirk!" he shouted.

Dirk turned around while Dean and Amy snuck around behind the ghost with the saltwater-soaked rope. "Winchester," Dirk sneered. "What are you gonna do, shoot me?"

Sam lowered his gun. "Don't need to."

Dean quickly wrapped the rope around the ghost, tying it tightly.

"That rope is soaked in saltwater, Dirk," Sam continued. "You're not going anywhere."

Amy quickly followed Dean onto the bus. She began searching for the lock of hair, while Dean addressed the team.

"All right, everybody stay where you are. You'll be okay," Dean informed them.

"Aren't you the P.E. Teacher?" the football coach asked Dean.

"And aren't you - wait...Amy?" a familiar voice called out.

Amy looked up to see Eric sitting towards the back of the bus.

"We're more like '21 Jump Street'," Dean explained. At the student's confused looks, he added, "the bus driver sells pot. Yeah."

Amy riffled through the pages of the bible, looking for the lock of hair. After not finding it, she slammed the book closed. "It's not here," she called out to Sam. She followed Dean back out of the bus.

Sam turned back to Dirk, aiming his gun. "Where is it?" he demanded.

"No way you'll ever find it," Dirk taunted.

Sam grabbed Dirk's shirt, shoving the ghost into the side of the bus. "Where is it?!" he shouted.

Dirk shook his head in disappointment. "Sam Winchester. Still a bully. You, you jocks... you popular kids... you always thought you were better than everybody else. And to you, I was just Dirk the jerk, right? Now you evil sons of bitches are gonna get what's coming to you."

"I'm not evil, Dirk," Sam replied, lowering his gun. "I'm not. And neither were you. Trust me. I've seen real evil. We were scared and miserable, and we took it out on each other - us and everybody else. That's high school. But you suffer through that, and it gets better. I'm just sorry you didn't get a chance to see that... you or Barry."

Sam's speech seemed to anger Dirk even more. "Nothing is gonna get better for me," he snapped. "Not ever." He broke out of the ropes like they were nothing and began approaching the hunters. Sam quickly fired two salt rounds into the man's chest, and the body collapsed to the ground. The hunters exchanged a glance before cautiously approaching the bus driver.

As they were approaching the driver, another student grabbed Sam from behind. Amy quickly grabbed the student, using all her strength to pull him off, Sam. Dean fired a salt round, which missed the student, hitting the side of the bus instead.

"Dean! Find the hair!" Sam yelled as he dodged a punch from Dirk.

Dean ran up to the bus driver, who was still lying on the ground and began looking through his pockets.

The student grabbed ahold of Amy, pinning her to the bus. She moved her head out of the way as he threw a punch at her, barely dodging it. Sam quickly pulled the student off her, punching him in the face.

"Hey, buddy, this isn't what it looks like," Dean said as he rummaged through the driver's pockets. He quickly found the lock of hair and took out his lighter, setting the hair on fire.

The student let out a scream and fell on top of Sam as Dirk was exorcised out of his body. Amy slid onto the ground, sitting against the side of the bus.

Sam struggled and strained under the weight of the student. "Little help?" he wheezed.

Dean glanced over at his brother and grimaced. "He's giving you the full cowgirl," he joked.

Amy rolled her eyes as she caught her breath, while Sam struggled to get out from under the student on top of him.

* * *

**December 15th, 2008 - Truman High**

Two days later, Amy sat with Dean in the Impala as they waited for Sam to exit the school. Sam had wanted to say goodbye to a former teacher of his, and Dean had decided not to argue about it.

As they waited for Sam to return, Amy spotted a familiar face exiting the building. She opened the backseat door and stepped out.

"Where are you going?" Dean asked.

"I've gotta do something, real quick," Amy stated simply, before closing her car door and walking up to the school.

Eric stood in front of the school, waiting for her. "Hey," he greeted.

"Hey," Amy echoed.

"So..." Eric began, "last night-"

"Yeah," Amy said, "sorry, I couldn't tell you."

Eric shook his head. "Don't worry about it," he said. He paused for a moment. "So, you're not really a student, then, are you?"

Amy shook her head. She smirked. "I actually graduated a little over a year ago."

"Wait, how old are you?" Eric asked.

"Nineteen."

Eric looked shocked. "Whoa."

Amy saw Sam leave the school. He gave her a quick glance before walking back to the Impala. A moment later, Dean honked the horn and began gesturing for her to hurry up.

"I better get going," Amy stated.

Eric nodded. "Yeah, me too," he said. "See ya around?"

Amy shrugged. "I honestly don't know. Maybe."

"Well, here's hoping," Eric said. "Bye, Amy."

"Later, Eric." Amy quickly ran off, hopping into the backseat of the Impala.

"So, who was that?" Dean asked.

"Eric," Amy replied. "He was in my English class and helped me find a couple of my classes the other day."

Dean looked at her through the rear-view mirror. "Hmm," he said, giving her a small smirk.

Amy rolled her eyes. "Can we just get going?"

Dean chuckled slightly as he pulled the Impala out of the Truman high parking lot. Amy folded up her jacket, using it as a pillow against the window while she closed her eyes to get some rest as Dean sped down the road.


	22. Death Takes a Holiday

**December 18th, 2008 - Bedford, Iowa**

"Alright, what should we put on?" Dean asked Amy.

Amy looked at the selection of songs in the jukebox that stood in front of her at the diner. They had recently finished a case involving a siren and had stopped to get something to eat on their way out of town.

"I don't know," Amy replied.

"Oh come on," Dean urged. "Pick anything."

"Okay." Amy pushed the button for the song 'Ramble On' by Led Zeppelin.

Dean nodded in approval. "Nice choice."

They walked back over to the table Sam was sitting at. He was getting off the phone with Bobby when they approached.

"No, no, no, you're right, it's definitely weird," Sam was saying. He nodded as Amy and Dean sat down. "Okay, Bobby, thanks." Sam finished his call and put his phone away.

"What's up?" Dean asked.

Sam started typing something on his computer. "Bobby found something in Wyoming," he informed them.

"A job?"

Sam shrugged. "Maybe. Small town, no one's died in the past week and a half."

"What's so weird about that?" Amy asked.

"Well, it's how they're not dying," Sam explained. "One guy with terminal cancer strolls right out of hospice. Another guy gets capped by a mugger and walks away without a scratch."

"Capped in the ass?" Dean asked.

Sam spun his laptop around so Dean and Amy could see the screen. He had an article open with a headline that read 'Shooting victim walks away unharmed' and had a subheading that read 'Man miraculously survives after direct shot to heart'.

"Police say Mr. Jenkins was shot in the heart at point-blank range by a nine-millimeter," Sam explained.

"And he's not a doughnut?" Dean asked, his mouth full of the burger he had been eating.

"Locals are saying it's a miracle."

Amy scoffed. "That is some miracle."

"It's got to be something nasty, right?" Sam asked. "I mean people making deals or something."

Dean seemed to consider this. "You think?"

"A whole town, though?" Amy asked.

"What else would it be?" Sam asked.

Dean shrugged. "I don't know."

Sam nodded. "All right." He put his laptop in his bag and then pointed at Dean's burger. "Get that to go."

Dean looked down at the burger but didn't move.

"Come on." Sam urged. He picked up his bag and Amy stood up, ready to follow them out of the diner.

Dean stayed seated, choosing to only pick up his burger and take another bite.

"What?" Sam asked, swinging his bag over his shoulder.

Dean glanced away. "Sure you want me going with you?"

Sam looked confused. "Why wouldn't I?"

"I don't want to be holding you back or nothing," Dean questioned.

"Dean..." Amy muttered. While under the influence of the siren during their last case, Sam had told Dean and Amy that they were too weak. That he was a better hunter than the two of them combined. Amy had forgiven Sam, knowing he was only under the influence of a spell, but Dean hadn't been too quick to do the same.

Sam groaned. "Dude, I've told you a hundred times, that was the siren talking, not me."

Dean took another bite of his burger, not replying.

"Can we get past this?" Sam asked.

Dean put the burger down and brushed off his hands. "Yeah, we're past it," he said as he stood up and walked out the door.

Sam and Amy exchanged a glance, before following Dean to the Impala.

* * *

**December 19th, 2008 - Greybull, Wyoming**

They reached Jim Jenkins' house early the next afternoon.

"So, what's our cover?" Dean asked.

"Bloggers?" Sam suggested. "We could tell him we want to write a story about what happened to him."

"Sounds believable enough," Amy added.

Dean nodded. "Alright, let's get going."

Sam grabbed a small notepad and a pen, and the hunters got out of the car. Dean led the way up to the front door and rang the doorbell.

A minute later, the door opened and a man appeared at the door. "Yes?"

"Good afternoon," Sam greeted. "Are you Jim Jenkins?"

Jim nodded. "Yes. And you are?"

"We work on a blog site," Dean stated. "We heard what happened and wanted to get your story if that was okay."

Jim looked between the three hunters briefly, before he finally nodded and stepped to the side. "Come on in."

Amy followed Sam and Dean into the house. Jim led them into the kitchen and sat down at the dining room table. Sam, Dean, and Amy took a seat across from him.

"Now, you three said you were bloggers?" Jim asked

Sam nodded. "Yes, sir. Floored by the Lord dot com."

Dean smiled. "All of God's glory fit to blog," he added.

Amy discreetly rolled her eyes before turning to Jim. "People around town are saying it's a miracle what happened to you."

Jim nodded. "It was. Plain as day."

"How can you be so sure?" Sam asked.

"How else do you explain it?" Jim asked. "The doctors can't." He leaned forward. "There's a bullet in my heart, and it's pumping like a piston."

"Well, how do you explain it?" Dean questioned.

Jim hesitated for a moment. He looked over at a little girl who was playing in the living room behind him, before turning back to the hunters. "Look, honestly." Jim let out a sigh. "I was nobody's saint—not exactly father of the year, either."

Dean nodded. "Okay."

"But when that guy shot me and I didn't bleed a drop?" Jim continued. "I just knew the Lord was giving me a second chance."

"That so?" Dean asked in an accusatory tone.

"I had this feeling," Jim said, "like angels were watching over me." Jim paused for a moment, before waving a hand and leaning back in his chair. "I wouldn't expect you guys to understand."

Dean smiled. "Well, we'll just have to try."

"You wouldn't have happened to have swung by a crossroads in the past week or so?" Sam asked.

"No," Jim replied, clearly confused.

"Have you ever met someone with red or black eyes?" Amy asked.

Jim leaned forward again. "Who'd you guys say you were again?"

The hunters exchanged a quick glance.

"Never mind," Dean said as he stood up. "Thank you for your time."

Dean quickly made his way out of the house, Sam and Amy right on his heel.

"That was close," Dean said as he pulled the Impala away from the house.

"But it begs the question," Sam replied, "if Jim didn't make a deal, then what the hell is going on around here?"

Dean drove them back to the motel. Sam took the Impala to talk to the cancer survivor while Amy and Dean tried to find who the last person to die was.

Amy paced around the room while Dean read the town obituary on his laptop.

"Okay, here," Dean said, getting her attention.

Amy leaned over Dean's chair. "What up?"

"Cole Griffith." Dean pointed to a picture of a kid who looked no older than eleven or twelve. "He died ten days ago. Last death I could find."

"So, what the hell is going on around here?" Amy asked.

Dean shrugged. "Miracles?"

Amy scoffed. "I doubt it."

"Well, there's no sign of a deal," Dean pointed out. "No faith healers. What else could it be?"

Amy thought for a moment. She paced back and forth in front of the beds.

"No demon deals, no faith healers," she said, "and nobody is dying." She turned back to Dean. "When you die, that's when a reaper comes in and takes your soul, right?"

Dean nodded and leaned forward. "Right."

"What if this town doesn't have one?" Amy asked.

"Okay, you lost me."

"I'm saying, what if something happened to the local reaper and they're not around anymore."

"What, like a strike?" Dean asked.

"Or something worse," Amy added. "I doubt an entire town of people made demon deals. So, either everyone has just gotten super lucky all of a sudden, or there's just simply no reaper around."

Dean pondered this for a moment. "You might be onto something there," he finally said. "Sam should be back at any moment. Let's see what he says about all this when he gets back."

* * *

Amy watched TV while Dean did some more digging on his laptop. It wasn't until late that night until Sam finally returned.

"Hey," Sam greeted.

Dean looked up from his laptop. "Anything?"

Amy walked over as Sam sat at the table.

"That cancer survivor?" Sam began. "He was clinically dead, his wife pulled the plug, and now he's taking her out for their twentieth anniversary."

"Any sign of a deal?" Dean asked.

Sam shook his head. "No. What about you guys? Found anyone dying around here?"

"The last person that died in this town was a kid named Cole Griffith," Amy explained. "He died about ten days ago."

Dean showed Sam a picture of Cole. "It was the last death we could find."

"So, what are you thinking?" Sam asked.

"Well, Amy was thinking-" Dean paused briefly. "Actually, you know what? I'll just let her tell you."

"All I was thinking, was what if the reason no one is dying is just because death just isn't around?"

"As in, there's no reaper around?"

Amy shrugged. "It was just a theory. But when you die, that's what a reaper is for, right? But if something happened to the reaper..."

"Then no one dies," Sam finished.

Dean poured himself a cup of coffee. "So what? The local reaper's on strike? Playing the back nine? I don't know."

"Well, then, let's talk to somebody who might," Sam suggested.

"Well, last I checked, huggy bear ain't available," Dean said.

"Huh?" Amy asked

Sam let out a small laugh. "No, dude, the kid."

"The kid?" Dean questioned. "The kid's a doornail."

Sam nodded. "Exactly. Look, if he was the last person to die around here, then maybe he's seen something. We should talk to him."

"I love how you say that as if it's something everyone does on a daily basis," Amy said with a smile.

Dean nodded. "Strange lives."

"Okay, so, how are we supposed to talk to this kid?" Amy asked.

Sam sat down at his laptop. "There's a ritual that'll summon his spirit to us. It needs to be performed over Cole's grave."

"So, as long as Cole wasn't cremated, we should be able to talk to him," Amy said.

Dean took a look at the obituary he had open. "Looks like he was buried at the local cemetery."

"Well, that covers that," Amy said. "How do we do this ritual?"

"It's pretty easy," Sam said, looking at his laptop screen. "We just need a few candles and this spell here. If done correctly, we should be able to talk to Cole."

Amy nodded. "Let's go talk to a ghost, then."

* * *

The hunters gathered everything they needed for the ritual and headed to the nearest cemetery. Once they found Cole's grave, they set up five candles around a pentacle that Sam had drawn on a cloth. Sam dropped some sticks in the middle of the pentacle, while Dean sat on another gravestone and flipped through their dad's journal.

"You sure this is gonna work?" Dean asked.

"No," Sam admitted, "but if his spirit's around, this should smoke him out."

"And if it doesn't work, then what?" Amy asked.

"Then we'll figure something else out," Sam told her.

Dean closed the journal as Sam poured something into a wooden bowl and set it in front of Cole's gravestone.

"What?" Sam asked, noticing Dean's worried expression.

Dean sighed. "This job is jacked, that's what."

"How so?" Sam asked.

"You want me to gank a monster or torch a corpse, hey, let's light it up, right? But this?" Dean gestured to the scene in front of him. "If we fix whatever this is, people are gonna start dropping dead. Good people."

"Good people die all the time, Dean," Amy pointed out. "I hate it too, but it's just how things work in the world."

Sam stood back up. "Look, I don't want them to die, either, Dean, but there's a natural order."

Dean scoffed. "You're kidding, right?"

"What?" Sam asked.

"You don't see the irony in that?" Dean asked back. "I mean, you and me, we're like the poster boys of the unnatural order. All we do is ditch death."

"Yeah, but the normal rules don't really apply to us, do they?"

Dean stared at his brother for a moment. "We're no different than anybody else."

"I'm infected with demon blood, you've been to hell," Sam yelled. He pointed to Amy. "She has telekinetic powers. Look, I know you want to think of yourself as Joe the Plumber, Dean, but you're not. Neither am I. And neither is she. The sooner you accept that the better off you're gonna be."

Dean looked up at the sky and let out a slight laugh. "Ah, Joe the Plumber was a douche."

Amy shook her head. "That's what you got from all that?"

"You gonna help me finish this?" Sam asked.

Dean nodded and stood up from the gravestone.

"Hey!" a voice shouted at them.

Amy looked over to see a man standing near them, shining a flashlight on the set-up for the ritual.

"What are you doing here?" the man asked.

"We, uh-" Amy began.

Sam glanced over at Dean, hoping for some help. "Just take it easy," he told the man.

"What the hell is this?" the man asked, gesturing to the ritual.

"Okay, this—this—this is not what it looks like," Dean replied, laughing nervously.

"Really? 'Cause it looks like devil worship."

"What?" Dean asked, even more nervously. "No! No, this is not devil worship. This—This is—this—this is, uh—" He sighed in defeat. "I don't have a good answer."

Sam held a hand out in front of him. "We're leaving."

"You're not going anywhere," the man said with a sinister grin. He took a step forward as Sam frowned. "Ever again. Sam."

Amy felt her heart skip a beat. "Damn it," she hissed.

The man turned to Dean, revealing a pair of white eyes.

"Alastair," Dean acknowledged. "I thought you got deep-fried, extra-crispy."

Amy reached for her gun, ready to fire it if needed.

"Nah," the demon said with a sneer. "Just the pediatrician I was riding. His wife's still looking for him. It's hilarious. Anyway." Alastair paused as he turned to Sam, who stood there fuming. "No time to chat. Got a hot date with death."

Alastair flicked his hand and Amy was suddenly thrown one direction while Dean was thrown the other. She barely had any time to brace herself as she collided with a gravestone. Every bone in her body ached as she lay on the broken rubble, trying to catch her breath.

Amy turned her head to the side to see Sam still standing in front of Alastair. The demon flicked his hand towards Sam, but nothing happened. Then he said something Amy couldn't quite hear. Sam flicked his wrist towards Alastair and Amy watched in a mix of shock and amazement as the demon went flying across the graveyard. Sam raised his hand again to exorcise Alastair, but the demon fled before he could.

With a groan, Amy slowly stood up, ignoring the pain that shot through her back. Dean was still on the ground and Sam hurried over. Amy moved as quickly as she could across the graveyard to join the brothers.

"Hey, you okay?" She asked Dean.

Dean groaned. "I'll be fine. Let's just get back to the motel room."

Amy helped Sam get Dean into the car before climbing into the backseat.

"What the hell happened back there?" Dean asked as Sam pulled away from the graveyard.

"I don't know," Sam said. "Alastair tried to fling me like he did with you guys and he couldn't."

* * *

**December 20th, 2008 - Broken Saddle Motel**

Sam pulled the Impala into the parking lot of the motel just after midnight. He stayed outside to call Bobby while Amy and Dean headed inside the room. As soon as they were inside, Dean immediately grabbed an ice pack, holding it to his head as he lay on the bed.

"You doing alright, kiddo?" Dean asked.

"Yeah, I'll be fine," Amy said as she sat on the other bed. "My back hurts, but I'll be fine. What about you?"

"Just peachy," Dean said with a groan.

A few minutes later, Sam came back into the room.

"How are you doing?" Sam asked.

"I'm in pain, that's how I'm doing," Dean replied. "I think I have a concussion."

"You want some aspirin?" Sam asked.

Dean sat up. "No thanks, House. So, demons, huh?"

Sam nodded. "Yeah. So much for miracles. Amy, how about you? You haven't said much since the graveyard."

"I'm fine," Amy replied. "Just a little bruised, I think."

"What the hell happened with Alastair again?" Dean asked.

"I told you, he tried to fling me or whatever." Sam flicked his hand the way Alastair had done. "And it didn't work, so he bailed."

Sam walked over to the coffee pot, giving Amy a pleading look as if asking her not to tell Dean what she had seen.

"Well, how come he couldn't fling you?" Dean continued. "He chucked you pretty good last time."

Sam turned to Dean, pausing for a moment. "Got no idea," he finally said, turning back to the coffee pot.

Dean nodded. "Sam, do me a favor," he said. "If you're gonna keep your little secrets, I can't really stop you, but just don't treat me like an idiot, okay?"

"What?" Sam asked, turning around. "Dean, I'm not keeping secrets."

"Mm-hm," Dean replied, obviously not believing his brother. "Whatever. So, did you go back and Q&A the dead kid?"

Sam held up a thin notebook. "Didn't have to. Bobby called. He did some digging."

"And?"

"Looks like Amy might be right."

"So the reaper is gone?" Amy asked.

Sam nodded. "Not just gone. Kidnapped."

"By demons?" Dean asked. "Why?"

"Listen to this." Sam opened up the notebook and began reading from it. "And he bloodied death under the newborn sky—sweet to taste, but bitter when once devoured."

"And that means what, exactly?" Amy asked.

"Well, it's from a very obscure, very arcane version of Revelations," Sam explained.

"Which means what I think it means?" Dean asked.

"Basically, you kill a reaper under the solstice moon—tomorrow night, by the way—you got yourself a broken seal."

"Of course it's tomorrow," Amy muttered. "Why doesn't that surprise me?"

"How do you ice a reaper?" Dean asked. "You can't kill death."

Sam shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe demons can." He sighed, sitting at the table by the door. "Where the hell are the angels, is what I want to know. We could use their help for once."

"Pretty sure most of them don't really care," Amy huffed.

"It looks like we're gonna have to take care of this one ourselves," Dean said.

Sam scoffed. "What are we gonna do, just swing in and save the friendly neighborhood reaper?"

Dean shrugged. "You got a better idea, I'm all ears."

"And how exactly would we do that?" Amy asked. "We can't see them."

"The only people that can see them are the dead and the dying," Sam explained.

"Like how you saw Tessa in that one episode," Amy continued.

"Who's Tessa?" Sam asked.

"Reaper," Dean explained. "I met her when we had that car crash and I was in a coma. And if ghosts are the only ones that can see them..." Dean trailed off.

"Yeah?"

"Then we become ghosts," Dean continued. He put the ice pack back on his head with a smirk.

Amy nodded. "Yes, but see the thing about that, is I would prefer to not die before I reach my twenties."

Dean nodded. "Sounds crazy, I know."

"It is crazy," Sam agreed.

Dean smirked again.

"How?" Sam asked.

Dean removed the ice pack again and put it to the side. "Figured Pamela might be able to help. I'm sure this is something she knows how to do."

"Yeah, but will she actually agree to it?" Amy asked. "I mean, if this goes wrong, we'd basically be asking her to kill us, right?"

"Well then let's hope it doesn't go wrong," Dean replied. He stood up from the bed. "Pamela's place is a few hours from here. I'll drive down there, pick her up, we should be back by morning."

"You sure you're okay to drive?" Sam asked.

Dean nodded. "Yeah, I'm good. Alright, you guys stay here, I'll go get Pamela and bring her back."

Amy nodded. "Okay. See you in a bit."

Dean grabbed his keys and walked out of the motel room, closing the door behind him.

* * *

**December 21st, 2008**

The next morning, there was a knock on the door. Sam opened it up to see Pamela at the door with Dean standing behind her.

"I can't even begin to tell you how crazy you guys are," Pamela said as soon as the door was opened. She held her hands out in front of her, feeling the counter and then the chair, before sitting down.

Amy smiled. "Hey, Pamela," she greeted.

"You're a sight for sore eyes," Sam said.

Pamela lowered her sunglasses far enough to reveal the white plastic eyes. "Aw, that's sweet, grumpy," she said before putting the glasses back. "What do you say to deaf people?"

Amy smirked as Sam and Dean looked around uncomfortably.

"Which one of you brainiacs came up with astral projection?" Pamela asked.

Dean raised a hand. "Yo."

Pamela nodded. "Of course. Chachi."

"Chachi?" Dean mouthed. Sam and Amy shrugged, unsure of what Pamela meant.

"So, let's be clear," Pamela continued. "You want to rip your souls out of your bodies and take a little stroll through the spirit world?"

"Pretty much," Amy replied.

"Do you have any idea how heavy-duty insane that is?" Pamela asked, folding her arms.

"Maybe, but that's where the reaper is, so..."

Pamela cut Dean off. "So, it's nuts."

Dean shrugged. "Not if you know what you're doing."

"You don't know what you're doing."

"No, but you do," Dean pointed out.

Pamela nodded. "Yeah, I do. And guess what? I'm sick of being hauled back into your angel-demon, Soc-Greaser crap."

"Look, I'd love to be kicking back with a cold one, watching Judge Judy, too," Dean began.

"Nice," Pamela said sarcastically. "More blind jokes?"

"You know what I mean," Dean muttered. "We're talking the end of the world here, okay? No more tasseled leather pants, no more Ramones CDs, no more nothing." Dean paused. "We need your help."

"Please, Pamela," Amy added. "We wouldn't ask this if it wasn't important."

Pamela sighed. "Fine."

Sam sighed in relief. "Thank you."

"Don't thank me just yet," Pamela replied. "Soon as this is over, I want out. For good."

Sam nodded. "Deal."

Amy helped Sam and Dean set up candles around the room. Dean set a candle on the bedside table while Sam closed the curtains in the room.

"Tell me something, geniuses," Pamela said as they set everything up. "Even if you do break into the veil and you find the reaper, how you gonna save it?"

"With style and class," Dean replied.

You're gonna be three walking pieces of fog who can't touch or move anything," Pamela countered. "You'll be defenseless, hotshot."

"We'll figure something out," Amy said. "We always do."

"Besides," Sam added, "I seem to recall a bunch of ghosts beating the crap out of us."

"Yeah, well, they had plenty of time to practice," Pamela reminded them.

Dean shrugged. "Well, then, I guess we got to start cramming."

"Wow, real heroes you guys are," Pamela said. She patted one of the beds. "All right. Lie down. Close your eyes."

Sam lay diagonally across one of the beds while Amy and Dean lay down on the other one, closing their eyes.

" _Animum vult decipi, ergo decipiatur. Vis, vis, vis_ ," Pamela chanted. "Okay, guys. That's it. Showtime."

Amy opened her eyes and sat up, looking around. Pamela was leaning back in the chair.

Dean sat up next to her. "Well, nothing like shooting blanks," he said. "What's plan B?"

Pamela didn't reply.

Amy and Dean exchanged a glance. "Pamela?" Amy asked.

Dean looked over at Sam's body lying on the bed. At the same time, Sam appeared behind Dean. Amy glanced over her shoulder to see her own body lying next to Dean's.

"Okay, this is freaky," Amy muttered.

"Yeah," Sam agreed.

Dean smiled. "Oh, I'm so feeling up Demi Moore."

Amy groaned. "Dude..."

"All right, so, I'm assuming you're somewhere over the rainbow," Pamela spoke up. "Remember I have to bring you back." She stood up, walking over to Sam's body as Dean and Amy watched. "I'll whisper the incantation in your ear."

Pamela leaned over Sam and whispered something that Amy couldn't hear. Sam grinned.

"What'd she—" Dean looked up at his brother. "What'd she say?"

Sam shrugged, a smirk plastered on his face. He cleared his throat. "We should get going."

Dean nodded. "Let's go, then."

* * *

Amy followed Sam and Dean outside. They walked down the street, looking around at their surroundings. A jogger ran up to them but didn't stop, running straight through Sam.

"That was wild," Dean commented.

Sam looked at Dean incredulously as Dean stuck an arm through his chest.

"Am I making you uncomfortable?" Dean asked as Sam glared at him. Amy held back a chuckle.

"Get out of me," Sam snapped.

Dean rolled his eyes as he pulled his arm out of Sam. "You're such a prude. Come on." He continued walking down the street, Sam and Amy close behind.

* * *

Amy sighed as they walked down another street. "It's been hours and we haven't seen any demons," she said.

"I say we hit Victoria's Secret and get our peep on, huh?" Dean suggested.

Sam nudged Dean, pointing up to a window on their right. "Hey. Three o'clock. The kid in the window."

Amy looked up. Staring out at them through a window on the second story of a house was a young boy.

"Is that- that looks like Cole Griffith," Amy said.

"That's because it is," Dean replied. "Cole Griffith, the last person to die in this town."

Cole flickered in the window before vanishing.

"Come on," Dean said. He walked up to the door, hesitating slightly before walking straight through the closed door.

Dean led Sam and Amy up the stairs. A woman ran straight through them, crying as she hurried out of the room. Cole was standing next to a dresser, throwing balls out of the room.

"Stop!" Dean yelled as he dodged a basketball. "How are you doing that?"

"Who are you?" Cole demanded.

"Relax, Cole," Sam said quietly. "It's okay."

"How do you know my name?" Cole asked.

Sam approached Cole. "Look, this isn't gonna be easy to hear, but...you're—dead. You're a spirit. Us too."

Cole scoffed. "Yeah, thanks, Haley Joel. I know I'm dead. What do you want?"

"We just want to talk," Sam replied.

"About what?" Cole asked.

Amy stepped forward. "About you." She paused for a moment. "Cole...how did you die?" she finally asked.

Cole didn't reply as he walked out of the room and back down the stairs.

The hunters walked downstairs to find Cole leaning against a wall as he watched his mother pour herself a drink.

"I was outside all morning," Cole informed them, turning around. "They tell you to be careful when it's cold."

"Cold air can cause an asthma attack?" Dean asked.

Cole nodded with a shrug. "But then I was in my room." He sighed. "It happened so fast. I called out for my mom, but nothing came out. Everything started spinning, and then I was just standing there, looking down at my body."

"And that's when you saw the man?" Sam asked.

Cole nodded again. "Creepy old guy in a black suit. He wanted me to go with him, but..." he trailed off, looking back at his mother. "I didn't want to go."

"Reaper," Sam whispered to Dean and Amy. "How'd you get rid of him?" he asked Cole.

"I didn't," Cole replied. "The black smoke did."

"Black smoke?" Dean asked.

"It was everywhere," Cole said. "I hid in the closet, and when I came out, it was gone, and so was he."

"Demon?" Amy asked quietly.

Sam nodded. "Must be," he whispered.

"Do you know where the smoke went?" Dean asked.

"No," Cole admitted. "But I know where it is."

The lights around the house started flickering and everyone looked around.

"They're back," Cole hissed.

"Who?" Dean asked.

Instead of answering, Cole flicked a few times before vanishing. A gust of wind hit Amy in the face as a faint, white, human-shaped figure rushed towards the stairs.

Dean quickly stood up, hurrying towards the stairs. "Hey! Hey! Wait! We need to talk to you!" he shouted after the figure.

The reaper turned to face them, before walking back down the stairs. Amy recognized her instantly. Tessa.

"Dean," Tessa greeted.

"Do I know you?" Dean asked in confusion.

"We go way back," Tessa replied.

"Tessa," Amy confirmed.

The reaper looked at her in confusion. "Do I know you?" she asked.

Amy shook her head. "I know you, though."

"So, you do know her," Sam asked Dean.

"This is Tessa," Dean said. "The one I told you about earlier."

"So, this is the reaper that came after you?" Sam asked.

Dean nodded. "Yeah."

Tessa turned to face Sam and Amy. "Well, this was fun," she said before turning back to Dean. "Now, if you'll excuse me—" she turned away, but Dean grabbed her arm, stopping her.

"Wait, wait, wait, wait," he said quickly, "you can't—you can't take the kid."

Tessa turned back around. "Why?"

"Demons are in town, that's why," Dean explained. "They've already snatched your reaper pal. The kid knows where."

"So?" Tessa asked.

"So, you should get out of here before you get taken, too," Amy replied.

"Except that this town is off the rails," Tessa snapped. "And someone has to set it straight."

Dean nodded. "Yeah, we understand that, but these are special circumstances."

Tessa scoffed. "What? Your whole angel-demon dance-off? I could care less. I just want to do my job."

"Right, yeah, and, look, we want to help you do your job," Sam began. "So, if you would just bail town—"

"No," Tessa cut him off.

"Well, then, could you hold off until we fix this?" Dean asked. "Please."

Tessa sighed. "All right, but just so we're clear, when I start reaping again, I'm starting with the kid."

Sam nodded. "Understood. I'll find him." he turned to walk up the stairs.

"Wait, wait, wait, wait," Dean said. Sam turned back around. "What— what are you gonna say to him?"

Sam shrugged. "Whatever I have to."

Amy watched Sam disappear up the stairs before turning back to Dean and Tessa.

"I'll tell you, life is funny," Tessa said.

"What do you mean?" Dean asked.

"You and me, together again," Tessa replied, moving closer to Dean.

"Are you—are you making a move on me?" Dean asked uneasily.

Tessa shook her head. "You're the one that got away, Dean. You'd be surprised how little that happens to me."

"Can I tell you something," Dean began. He looked over at Amy. "Between you and me?" he added.

Amy got the hint. "I'll be outside if you need me." She walked to the door, stepping outside.

* * *

Amy leaned against the railing of the porch as she watched a jogger run by. Now that she had a moment to herself, she began to think. It wouldn't be long, probably only a few months or so, until Sam killed Lilith. She knew she couldn't let that happen. She needed to figure out a good time to tell Sam and Dean about Ruby's true intentions. Getting Dean to listen would be easy, but from past experience, Amy knew getting Sam to listen wouldn't be as easy.

Maybe, just maybe, she could get through to him though. Stop Sam from killing Lilith and breaking the final seal. It was a longshot, but if she did, maybe she could stop everything that was about to happen from happening. After all, what good was knowing about the future if she couldn't do anything about it?

Dean poked his head out the door a minute later.

Amy smirked as she looked at the upper half of his body phasing through the door. "You are having way too much fun being a ghost," she said.

Dean nodded, stepping the rest of the way through the door. "Admit it, you think it's fun too."

Amy nodded as well. "Yeah, it is pretty fun," she admitted. She took a step towards him. "And, uh, just so you know, if you wanna have even more fun, you can actually move things, like I can, now that you're a ghost."

Dean raised an eyebrow in interest. "You mean like, with my mind?"

Amy nodded. "Yep," she confirmed.

Dean smiled mischievously. "You're gonna have to show us how," he said.

"I will," Amy agreed. "I'm guessing Sam found Cole, then?"

Dean nodded. "Cole's ready to tell us about the smoke he saw."

Amy sighed. "Okay." She followed Dean through the door. Sam was standing with Cole and Tessa in the living room.

"It's okay, Cole," Sam reassured the boy. "Just tell them what you told me."

Cole nodded. "I saw the black smoke at my funeral."

"At the cemetery?" Dean asked.

"At the funeral home," Cole corrected. "It was everywhere."

Before anyone could say anything else, the lights began flickering again.

"You doing that?" Dean asked, looking at Tessa.

"No."

The front door opened and a huge cloud of black smoke filled the room. Amy ducked as it poured over her, waiting for the smoke to disappear. When it finally did, she raised her head, only to find Tessa now gone.

"Tessa!" Dean called out.

"Cole, you okay?" Sam asked. The boy nodded.

"What the hell just happened?" Amy asked.

"And how the hell are we supposed to fight it?" Dean added.

Sam shrugged. "I don't know. Learn some ghost moves?"

"By tonight?" Dean scoffed. "Yeah, sure. I'll meet you back at Mr. Miyagi's."

"Who's Mr. Miyagi?" Cole asked.

"It'll take some time, but with Cole's and my help, it shouldn't take long."

Cole scoffed. "You know ghost moves?" he asked.

"Well, I know a ghost move," Amy corrected. "But I don't know how to teleport or touch solid objects."

"What exactly can you do, then?"

Amy closed her eyes, focusing her powers on the items around the room. The all-too-familiar sensation washed over her as she brought several, various items into the air and spun them around the room.

After a moment, she opened her eyes and put everything back down. "That," she said simply.

"But my brother and I," Dean cut in, "we can't do any of that stuff. We were hoping you could show us."

Cole nodded. "Alright, I'll show you some basics," he agreed.

Sam seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. "Thank you, Cole."

"We'll work on moving things first," Cole said. "That's the easiest to learn." He smirked as he looked over at Amy. "You can teach them that."

* * *

Amy stood outside on the porch with Sam, Dean, and Cole. Dean was standing next to her while Sam and Cole watched from the doorway.

"Okay," Dean said, clapping his hands together enthusiastically, "how do we do this?"

Amy let out a small laugh. "Alright, so, basically, all it is is just concentration," she explained. "Here," she pointed to the windmill, "just focus on the windmill there."

Dean locked his eyes onto the windmill staring at it with extreme intent.

"Okay, okay," Amy said, putting a hand on his shoulder. "You're not trying to make it explode."

Dean relaxed slightly.

"That's better." Amy sighed. "Just, imagine there's a string on the windmill."

Dean nodded. "Okay."

"Okay, now focus on that string. Concentrate on it. Imagine something grabbing onto the string and pulling on it, using it to pull the windmill and make it turn."

Dean took a deep breath. He stared intently at the windmill.

"It's not gonna move if you don't concentrate," Cole called out.

"I am concentrating," Dean insisted. He glared harder at the windmill.

"You're not trying to make it explode, Dean," Amy reminded him. "Just move a little."

Dean looked over at her. "How the hell do you do this so easily?"

"I've had a lot of practice," Amy explained. "It just takes practice."

Dean closed his eyes and let out a deep breath. He opened his eyes and stared at the windmill again, with less intent than the last time. A moment later, the windmill turned slightly.

"Ah, here we go, baby," Dean said triumphantly.

Cole scoffed as he walked up to Amy and Dean. "You pull a muscle?"

"All right, Yoda, let's see what you got," Dean challenged.

Cole looked at the windmill. It started spinning rapidly, not slowing down. Next to Amy, the porch swing started swinging while the wind chimes above Dean's head started chiming.

Dean looked impressed. "Dude! You are so Amityville."

Cole grinned. "This isn't even the good stuff." He hurried inside, quickly followed by Sam, Dean, and Amy.

Cole was bouncing excitedly in the living room when they entered. He gestured for them to come closer.

Sam walked up to Cole. "Alright, what did you want to show us?" he asked.

In response, Cole punched Sam in the stomach, causing the tall hunter to double over in pain.

"See?" Cole asked. "If you want to hit something, you just got to get mad."

Sam straightened up. "Yeah, got it."

Cole looked over at Dean. "Now you try. Hit me," he challenged.

Dean laughed nervously. "Uh, I think I'll stick to just picking on somebody my own size." he pointed to Sam. Cole punched him in the face, before turning to Amy.

"Hit me as hard as you can," he urged.

Amy swung her fist towards Cole, only to have her attack blocked. Cole swung his fist at her face, but she quickly dodged, swinging another punch at the ghost kid.

Before Amy's fist could connect with Cole, he vanished into thin air, reappearing across the room.

"Whoa. Whoa, you got to teach us that," Dean told the kid.

Cole smiled. "It's easy," he explained. "Just focus on where you want to go. It has to be somewhere nearby that you can see, though."

Amy picked a spot a few feet away from her and imagined herself there instead. A second later, she found herself standing on that exact spot, without even moving her feet.

"Whoa," Amy said as she found her balance again. Moving to a new location so suddenly felt almost the same way as when Gabe had flown her places before. "That was awesome."

"Oh, I have so got to try that," Dean exclaimed.

Cole spent another few hours showing Sam, Dean, and Amy how to use their ghost powers. Amy worked with Sam on the telekinesis, but he quickly proved to be a fast learner, wasting no time in getting things to move.

Before long, Cole had taught them all they needed to learn.

"Thank you, Cole," Amy said gratefully.

"Yeah, thanks," Dean repeated.

"So, where are you guys going now?" Cole asked.

"Funeral home," Sam explained. "We gotta get rid of this black smoke."

Cole nodded. "Good luck."

* * *

Amy stood in front of the funeral home with Sam and Dean later that night. The walls of the building were covered in several blue, glowing, figures. She watched as several people walked by, ignoring both the hunters and the glowing symbols.

"This looks like New Jack City," Dean observed. He looked behind him as a woman walked by. "Can nobody can see this?" he asked.

Sam shrugged. "Maybe it's demon invisible ink. Only see it in the veil."

"Any idea what it's for?" Dean asked.

"We'll find out."

Sam led them inside the funeral home. Amy followed Dean quietly down one hallway that led around a staircase, while Sam went the other way. The hallways met back up in another room and Sam shrugged, not having found anything.

They continued through the funeral home until they reached an open room. An eight-pointed-star was drawn in the center of the room, with different symbols drawn at each point. Lying in the star, was Tessa and another reaper. A man stood guard on the other side of the trap, his back towards the hunters.

"Dude, check me out," Dean whispered. He took a few steps forward, before vanishing. He reappeared a few seconds later directly behind the man and tapped him on the shoulder. The man turned around and Dean punched him in the face, vanishing before the man could straighten up and take a swing at him.

Amy teleported herself directly in front of the man. He stumbled backward and she took the opportunity to knee him in the stomach. Sam appeared behind the man kicked him in the back, pushing him over to Dean, who threw another punch to the stomach.

The man scrambled away, hiding behind a coffin on a raised platform. The hunters exchanged a glance, before walking towards the platform.

"You know, this ghost thing, it's, it's kind of rad," Dean said as they approached the coffin.

As they walked past a curtain, another man ran out from behind it with a chain. His hands were smoking as he attached it to a hook. The first man from earlier quickly moved out of the way as the man with the chain attached it to a candle stand.

Amy could see a faint barrier surrounding them where the iron chains were. The barrier stopped her in her tracks, preventing her from escaping the trap.

"It's iron," Sam commented.

"Kinda figured that," Amy replied.

The two men backed away from the chain as another man entered.

"You three find the place okay?" The demon rolled his eyes back, revealing the familiar white eyes of Alastair. He walked up to the chain as one of the other demons handed him a shotgun, before leaving with the first demon.

Alastair aimed the gun at Dean and pulled the trigger. Amy watched in a panic as Dean disintegrated before her eyes.

"Dean!" she cried out.

Alastair sneered. "Rock salt's not so much fun anymore, is it?"

Dean suddenly reappeared next to Amy. He let out a pained groan. "Alastair. You bastard."

Alastair looked over at Sam. "Well, go on," he taunted. "Why don't you try some of your mojo on me now, hotshot?"

Sam glared at the demon but didn't say anything.

"It's hard to get it up when you're not wearing your meat, huh?" Alastair asked.

"Go to hell," Sam snapped.

Alastair clicked his tongue. "Ah, if only I could." He turned away from them, crossing the room. "But they just keep sending me back up to this arctic craphole."

"Why?" Amy asked. "To kill death?"

"No, to kill death twice," Alastair corrected. "It takes two to break a seal. I figured another one would show up, though. They're like lemmings."

Alastair pumped the shotgun and fired it at Amy. She felt a sharp pain radiate through her entire body as if every atom inside her was torn to shreds. The room around her vanished for a moment before she suddenly found herself standing between Sam and Dean again. She glared at the demon, holding her pained stomach.

"Ah, that so?" Alastair was asking. He took out a small scythe. Anyhoo," he said, turning the scythe around in his hands. "Moon's in the right spot. The board is set. Let's get started, shall we?"

"You're gonna kill a reaper with that?" Dean asked, nodding towards the scythe. He scoffed. "It's a little on the nose, don't you think?"

"Is it?" Alastair asked. "An old friend lent it to me. You know, he doesn't really ride a pale horse? But he does have three amigos." The demon walked over to the reaper trap. "And they're just jonesing for the apocalypse." He knelt down next to the old reaper. "It pays to have friends in low places," he said as he grabbed the reaper by the collar and pulled him up. "Don't you think?"

Alastair put the scythe to the reaper's neck. Amy looked around the room frantically for anything she could use. " _Hic cruor messorius, illud sigillum_ ," he chanted, " _quod luciferem reverendum obstringit, aperiat ut resurgat_!" He pulled the scythe across the back of the reaper's neck. Bright lights flashed around the funeral home as Alastair lowered the reaper to the floor and moved towards Tessa.

Sam nudged Amy in the shoulder and pointed up to a chandelier directly above the reaper trap.

Alastair grabbed Tessa by her shoulder and pulled her up, holding the scythe to her neck.

"Stop!" Tessa cried out.

Amy focused on the chandelier, pulling it towards the ground with Sam and Dean's help.

" _Hic cruor messorius_ ," Alastair began, " _illud sigillum, quod luciferem reverendum obstringit_ —"

The chandelier began to shake violently. Amy concentrated harder as Alastair continued the spell.

"— _aperiat ut resurgat_!"

Before Alastair could kill Tessa, the chandelier fell onto the reaper trap, breaking it. Tessa vanished from Alastair's grasp, reappearing next to the candle stand. She unhooked the chain, dropping it to the ground.

Dean waved at Alastair. "Bye-bye."

Amy smirked as she disappeared with Sam, Dean, and Tessa.

* * *

Amy found herself waking up back in the motel room, rather than outside the funeral home. Sam was already awake, holding Pamela up as she painfully clutched her stomach.

"Pamela?" Amy asked. She looked up at Sam. "What happened?"

Sam looked over his shoulder and Amy followed his gaze. The motel room looked ransacked and one of the demons from earlier was slumped against the wall, a knife in his hand.

"Shit," Amy hissed. She quickly stood up, helping Sam sit Pamela down on the chair nearby.

"You'll be okay, Pamela," Amy told the psychic. She was lying, though. She knew she was and she knew Pamela knew it too.

Pamela started laughing.

"What's so funny?" Sam asked.

"I can't die—not in this town." Pamela took her hand away from her wound. There was no blood.

"Pamela-" Sam began.

Pamela coughed. "Quit your worrying, grumpy." She patted Sam on the shoulder. "How about you make me a drink, huh?"

"You need a doctor," Sam stated.

"Make me a drink, Sam," Pamela repeated.

Sam nodded uneasily. "Okay," he finally said. "Okay."

Sam stood up and poured Pamela a glass of whiskey, handing it to her. Pamela downed the drink in one sip, before painfully standing up, using Sam and Amy for support.

"Let's wake up that brother of yours," Pamela groaned. She supported herself on the bed and leaned over Dean's body. " _Imum vult decipi, ergo decipiatur. Vis, vis, vis_."

Sam helped Pamela sit on the other bed. "Hey, we just gotta talk to Tessa, that's all," he told her. "Get her to hold back reaping till we get you better."

Pamela leaned back against the headrest. "I'm pretty sure she's started up again."

"What do you mean?" Amy asked, though she wasn't sure she wanted to know the answer.

Pamela removed her hand from her wound for a brief moment, just long enough for blood to start pouring out.

Dean sat up with a loud gasp. "What happened?" he asked when he saw Pamela.

"Dean, where's Tessa?" Sam asked.

Dean hesitated. "She's..."

Pamela sat on the bed and took off her sunglasses, dropping them to the ground.

"Pamela, I'm so sorry," Sam apologized.

"I wish there was something we could do," Amy added.

"Stop," Pamela snapped. She let out another pained cough.

"You don't deserve this," Sam continued.

"Yeah, I don't," Pamela agreed. "I told you I didn't want anything to do with this. Do me a favor? Tell that bastard Bobby Singer—to go to hell for ever introducing me to you three in the first place." She turned her head towards Amy. "And you?" Pamela groaned again. "Screw you."

Pamela started coughing more violently. Dean moved forward to support her. "Take it easy, Pamela." He let out an uneasy laugh. "If it's any consolation, you're going to a better place."

Pamela scoffed. "You're lying. But what the hell, right? Everybody's got to go sometime."

Pamela gestured Sam closer. "Come here."

Sam leaned closer and Pamela whispered something Amy couldn't hear in his ear. Sam pulled away shakily as Pamela started to cough up blood.

Sam shook the psychic. "Pamela?"

Pamela didn't respond. Her head slid lifelessly down the headboard.

"Pamela!" Amy cried out frantically.

Dean looked up at Sam. "What did she say to you?" he asked.

Sam looked away, not responding.

Dean let go of Pamela's hand as Amy stood up and walked away from the bed. "She's dead," he muttered.

Amy sighed. She slid down the wall until she was sitting on the floor, and put her face in her hands. "I should have been able to do something," she muttered.

"There was nothing you could have done, Amy," Sam assured her. "This wasn't your fault. Pamela was already dead before she woke us back up."

Amy turned her head away from the Winchesters. She barely registered Dean walking up and helping her to her feet as Sam gently wrapped Pamela up in the bedsheet and picked up her body, following them out the door.

Sam placed Pamela in the trunk of the Impala. Amy stayed silent as she climbed into the backseat. Dean started the engine up and started his drive down the road.

* * *

**December 22nd, 2008 - Cheyenne Wyoming**

No one said a word the entire drive. When Dean finally pulled into a clearing in the middle of nowhere, they got out of the Impala. Amy silently helped Dean build up a pyre while Sam pulled Pamela from the trunk and gently placed her on top.

Dean poured lighter fluid and salt on the body, before lighting a match. He took a deep breath. "Well, good-bye, Pamela." His voice shook on every word.

"I'm so sorry," Amy whispered, refusing to look at the pyre. "You don't deserve this."

Dean dropped the match on the pyre and it burst into flames. A tear rolled down Amy's cheek as the stood with Sam and Dean, watching the wind blow the flames around. She felt so guilty as Pamela's body burned before her eyes. Maybe, if Amy had warned Pamela before they became ghosts, or if they had never become ghosts, this wouldn't have happened.

Amy wiped the tears from her eyes as the flames died down. She needed to do something, to change something. She had already made the mistake once when Dean went to Hell, by not saying something sooner, and she wasn't about to make the same mistake twice.

"There's something I need to tell you guys." Sam and Dean looked down at Amy. "It's about Lilith, Ruby, and the seals."


	23. On the Head of a Pin

"There's something I need to tell you guys. It's about Lilith, Ruby, and the seals." The words left Amy's mouth before she could stop herself. She turned her head to the ground, waiting for Sam or Dean to register what she had just revealed.

"What do you mean you have something to tell us?" Sam asked coldly.

Amy took a deep breath, relaxing slightly. "You can't kill Lilith-" she began.

"The hell we can't," Dean snapped, cutting her off. "She's trying to break the seals. We have to stop her. And the only way to do that is killing her"

Amy shook her head. "No, it's not. Lilith is the final seal. You kill her, and Lucifer is freed."

"What did you just say?" Dean growled.

"Lilith is the final seal," Amy repeated.

"Why the hell didn't you say something earlier?" Dean asked. "I told you to say something if you knew anything that could help us."

"I know!" Amy screamed. Her voice shook as she held back tears. "And I'm sorry. I am! But I'm telling you now. I already made the mistake once before, and we all know how that ended up going. I'm not making that mistake again."

"Tell us everything," Sam instructed.

Amy nodded, wiping the tears away from her eyes. "Lilith and Ruby are working together. They have been this whole time. Ruby wants you to kill Lilith. She wants Lucifer freed."

"You should have told us sooner," Sam said, almost too quietly to hear.

"I know," Amy said in a shaky voice. "I should have told you sooner, I know that. But I'm telling you now before I make the same mistake I made when Dean went to Hell."

"So, Ruby-" Sam began, urging Amy to confirm his thought.

"She was using you," Amy confirmed, turning to the younger Winchester, "she wants Lilith dead so Lucifer can be freed. In the show, you guys didn't find out until it was too late and the last seal was already broken. I'm just hoping I'm not too late this time."

Dean let out a deep breath. "So, now, what do we do?"

"I don't know," Amy admitted, "as far as I remember, or understand, Sam was the only one capable of killing Lilith. It was why Ruby was trying to get Sam to strengthen his powers."

"How come I'm the only one that can kill her?"

"As far as I know, it wasn't really explained in the show." Amy sighed. "And I don't know what to do now, either."

"Do the angels know about this?" Dean asked.

Amy nodded. "Some of them do. Some of the angels actually want Lucifer freed as well. I think, not entirely sure, but I think Uriel is one. Cas isn't one of them, though. "

Dean nodded. "Okay, good. If you remember anything else, let us know."

* * *

Dean didn't say a word as Sam drove them to the motel.

"What's your problem?" Sam asked after a while of silence.

"Pamela didn't want anything to do with this and we dragged her back into it, Sam," Dean said.

"I should have done something," Amy muttered. "It's all my fault."

"Don't blame yourself, Amy," Sam said. "Pamela knew what was at stake."

Dean scoffed. "Oh yeah. Saving the world. And we're doing such a damn good job of it."

"Dean—"

Dean cut Sam off. "I'm tired of burying friends, Sam."

"Look, we just have to figure out what to do now," Sam said.

Dean sighed. "I know. Like I said, I'm just—I'm just getting tired."

"Well, get angry," Sam instructed.

* * *

They reached a motel sometime after nightfall. Sam checked them into a room and led them inside.

"Ah, home crappy home," Dean groaned as he tossed his bag onto the table.

Sam flipped on the lights and Amy immediately groaned.

"Winchester, Winchester, and Jones," a gruff voice greeted them.

Uriel stood in the center of the room while Castiel stood with his eyes aimed towards the ground as he stood awkwardly in the corner.

"Oh come on!" Dean snapped.

"You are needed," Uriel informed them.

"Seriously?" Amy asked.

"We just got back from needed!" Dean snapped.

"Now, you mind your tone with me," Uriel ordered.

"No, you mind your damn tone with us," Dean snapped, stepping forward.

"Give us a break," Amy pleaded.

Sam quickly got between Uriel and Dean. "We just got back from Pamela's funeral," he informed the angel.

"Pamela. You know, psychic Pamela?" Dean added. "You remember her. Cas, you remember her. You burned her eyes out. Remember that? Good times," he said, his voice growing sharper. "Yeah, then she died saving one of your precious seals. So maybe you can stop pushing us around like chess pieces for _five freaking minutes!"_

Amy sighed, shifting awkwardly on her feet at the tension in the room.

"We raised you out of hell for _our_ purposes," Uriel emphasized.

"Yeah, what were those again?" Dean asked. "What exactly did you want from me?"

"Start with gratitude," Uriel growled.

Dean scoffed, glaring at Uriel.

"Dean, we know this is difficult to understand-" Castiel began.

"And we..." Uriel cut Castiel off, casting him a meaningful look. He turned back to Dean. "Don't care. Now, seven angels have been murdered, all of them from our garrison. The last one was killed tonight."

"Demons?" Dean asked. Uriel nodded. "How are they doing it?"

"We don't know," Uriel said with a shrug.

"So, what are we supposed to do about it?" Amy asked, stepping forward so she stood next to Sam.

"We can handle the demons, thank you very much,"

"Once we find whoever it is," Castiel added.

"So you need our help hunting a demon?" Dean asked.

"Not quite," Castiel corrected, stepping next to Uriel. "We have Alastair."

Dean smiled. "Great. He should be able to name your trigger man."

"But he won't talk," Castiel cut in. "Alastair's will is very strong. We've arrived at an impasse."

Dean scoffed. "Yeah, well, he's like a black belt in torture. I mean, you guys are out of your league."

"That's why we've come to his student," Uriel said. "You happen to be the most qualified interrogator we've got."

Dean looked down.

"Dean, you are our best hope," Castiel added.

"Cas, don't do this," Amy pleaded.

Dean looked back up. "No. No way. You can't ask me to do this, Cas. Not this."

Uriel chuckled, stepping closer to Dean. He leaned against the table. "Who said anything about asking?"

There was a flutter of wings and Amy found herself alone in the motel room with Sam.

"Dean?" Amy called out, knowing before his name left her mouth that it was no use.

Sam looked around the room. "Damn it!" he yelled. He turned to Amy. "Where are they?"

Amy shook her head. "I-I don't know."

Sam glared at her.

"I don't!" Amy insisted. "Honest." She sighed. "What are we gonna do?"

Sam shifted on his feet. "Dean's not strong enough to take on Alastair."

"I meant how are we gonna find him," Amy corrected.

Sam didn't say anything. He pulled his phone out, avoided Amy's gaze.

Amy shook her head, realizing what Sam was implying. "No. Sam, no. You can't call Ruby over."

Sam started pacing around the room. "You got a better idea?" he asked.

Yes!" Amy exclaimed. "Anything. Literally anything is a better idea than getting Ruby's help. Did you forget all that stuff I said earlier about her using you?"

"We just need her to use a tracking spell to find Dean, that's it," Sam explained.

Amy stared at Sam, trying to find the right words. "I...you...Dean..." She looked down at the floor, letting out a long sigh. "This is stupid. I just hope you know that."

"Yeah, Amy, I know!" Sam snapped. "But it's not like we have a lot of options here."

Amy sighed again. "Fine. Call Ruby. There's obviously no changing your mind on this so..." she trailed off.

Sam pulled out his phone and stepped outside, leaving Amy alone in the room.

Amy threw herself face-first onto the bed with a groan. ' _Why? Why? Why? Why? Why?'_ she thought to herself.

Sam returned a minute later. "She's on her way," he informed Amy.

"Great," Amy muttered sarcastically, sitting back up.

"I promise, this is the last time I talk to Ruby," Sam said. "We only need to find Dean, then I'm done with her."

Amy nodded. "Just, don't tell her what I told you."

Sam raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"If Ruby knew that I told you guys what she was really up to, who knows what she might do," Amy pointed out. "She could kill us right there if she wanted to."

Sam sighed. "You're right," he agreed. "Keep what we know on the down-low for now. We'll figure out what to do with her later."

Ten minutes later, there was a knock at the door. Sam opened it to find Ruby standing outside.

"I can still smell them," Ruby snarled as she stepped into the motel room. Sam closed the door behind her as Ruby turned to face him. "Seriously, Sam, I'm not exactly dying to tangle with angels again."

Sam walked further away from Ruby. "I need you to find out where they took Dean," he said simply.

Ruby shrugged. "Not sure I see the problem," she said. "You know they have Alastair strung up six ways from Sunday. Dean cuts himself a slice, Al's reduced to a quivering heap, and the good guys get the goods. What's wrong with that?"

"The problem," Amy said, standing up from the bed, "is we need to find Dean. And that's it. After that, you can leave."

"What's her problem?" Ruby asked.

"Just-" Sam began, holding up his hand. "Can you help?"

Ruby sighed. "Fine. I need a map and a candle."

"We have a map in the Impala," Sam said. "Amy, can you go get it?"

Amy looked at Sam suspiciously. "Sure," she said. ' _Sam, please don't do what I think you're doing,'_ she thought, hoping her telepathic powers allowed her message to get through.

Sam shifted uncomfortably on the spot. Amy reluctantly walked out of the room, running as fast as she could through the pouring rain to the Impala. She opened the passenger door and dug around in the glove box until she found a folded up map. Grabbing the map, she closed the door and hurried back up to the motel room.

Amy stepped inside the room to find Sam standing against the counter and Ruby sitting on the bed, rolling down her sleeve. Resisting the overwhelming urge to yell at Sam, she held up the map.

"Got it," she declared.

Ruby stood up. "Good. Put it on this table here."

Amy lay the map on the table as Ruby lit a black candle.

" _Mihi pareas. Ubicumque in occultatione sis, defigo te ut mihi pareas,"_ The demon chanted, holding the flame to the corner of the map.

The edges of the map burst into flames. Ruby closed her eyes, opening them to show her black ones. " _Igni...fiat...notum,_ " she finished.

Amy shielded her face from the heat as the map was engulfed in flames.

Sam looked at the map with a worried expression plastered on his face.

"Relax," Ruby said, her eyes still demon black, "the fire is our friend. Besides, the only part of the map we need is the "where's Dean" part."

The edges of the mao began to turn black. "Out," Ruby commanded.

The fire went out instantly. All but one section of the map had turned charcoal black. Ruby pointed to the untouched spot. "There," she stated. "Your brother is there."

Amy looked at the map. "Well, at least he's still in Cheyenne," she muttered.

Ruby walked around the table. "It's a good thing angels aren't concerned with hiding their dirty business. Not used to being spied on." She leaned against the room divider behind Sam and smirked. "I mean, who'd be stupid enough to try?"

Sam looked like he wanted to say something, but decided against it. "Thanks for the help, Ruby," he said, turning to the demon. "You can go now."

Ruby looked confused. "That's it?" she asked. "You just needed me to find Dean and now you're sending me away?"

"Yep," Amy confirmed, crossing her arms. "Bye!"

Ruby sighed. "Fine." She straightened back up and walked up to Sam. "But if you ever need anything," she said, putting her face a couple of inches from Sam's, "you know you only have to call."

Ruby walked out of the room and Amy eagerly shut the door behind her. "Good riddance," the hunter muttered. She walked back up to the map. "So, where's Dean?"

"Looks like he's a few miles from here," Sam stated. "It shouldn't take us long to get there. But we should get going now." Sam quickly walked out the door, grabbing the keys to the Impala on the way.

Amy quickly followed Sam down to the parking lot, sliding into the passenger seat of the Impala. She barely had time to close the door before Sam sped off.

* * *

Most of the car ride was silent. Amy had a hunch that Sam had gotten Amy out of the room earlier so he could drink Ruby's demon blood. He had seemed eager for her to leave Ruby alone, and the tension hanging in the room when she returned almost seemed to confirm it.

"Alright, come on," Sam said, breaking the silence, "out with it."

"What?" Amy asked, looking at Sam in confusion.

"I know you wanna ask me about earlier," Sam continued.

Amy hesitated before answering. "Please tell me you didn't get me out of the room earlier to do what I think you did."

There was a long pause as Amy waited for Sam to answer. The younger Winchester stared through the windshield, his eyes fixed on the road ahead. "Dean's not strong enough to take on Alastair," he finally said.

"Sam-" Amy whispered.

"Someone's gotta get some answers out of Alastair about who's killing angels, and it sure as hell won't be Dean," Sam snapped. "I did what was necessary."

"Just...promise you'll at least try to stop," Amy pleaded.

Sam didn't reply or look at Amy. The moonlight shined on his face, reflecting the glare from his eyes. Amy turned her head to look out the passenger window, deciding it would be best to not push the matter further.

* * *

It was a short, thirty-minute drive to the location on the map. Sam drove the Impala down a dirt road until an abandoned meat processing building came into view.

"Think that's where he is?" Sam asked.

"This is where the map said he was," Amy pointed out. "An abandoned building seems as good a place as any to check."

Sam turned off the car. "Let's go," he said.

Amy quickly got out of the car, following Sam to the entrance of the building. Sam led her inside and they quietly made their way through the corridor.

As they neared a set of double doors, the sounds of a fight became more noticeable. Sam quickly ran ahead, pushing through the doors with Amy close behind. They found themselves in a large room with a single table in the center. To the left was another door with a window. Sam pushed the door open and Amy followed him in, preparing herself to fight if she needed to.

The first thing Amy saw was Dean's unconscious body on the floor. Blood was coming out of his nose and the side of his head. A hexacle with chains was sitting on the floor inside a devil's trap, but Alastair wasn't inside. Instead, the demon had a bleeding Castiel pinned to the wall, his hand around the angel's throat.

" _Omnipotentis dei potestateminvoco_ ," the demon was chanting repeatedly. Blue light began to appear in Castiel's eyes and mouth.

Amy watched as Sam held up a hand, a stern, focused look upon his face. Alastair stopped chanting abruptly as he began to choke. He suddenly released the angel and flew back against the wall as Sam approached with his hand still outstretched.

"Cas!" Amy cried out as she hurried to the angel's side.

The angel collapsed to the floor, panting heavily. Amy knelt down beside him. "The trap," he said, almost choking out the words, "it broke. I don't know how." He looked up at Amy with pleading eyes. "I'm sorry."

Amy looked over at the trap. Water was dripping down behind the hexacle, breaking the devil's trap on the floor.

"I think I do," she muttered.

"Who's murdering the angels?" Sam demanded, turning Amy's attention back to him. Alastair was still pinned to the wall. "How are they doing it?"

Alastair laughed. "You think I'm gonna tell you?"

Sam glared at the demon. "Yeah, I do."

Amy watched in fear as Sam twisted his hand. Alastair's eyes rolled back until they were white and he began to choke.

"How are the demons killing angels?" Sam repeated.

"I don't know," Alastair choked out.

Sam scoffed. "Right."

"It's not us," Alastair insisted. "We're not doing it."

"I don't believe you," Sam growled, clenching his fist tighter.

Amy gasped. "Oh no," she whispered.

"What is it?" Cas asked.

Amy gulped. "I just remembered something. The only thing that can kill an angel," she turned to face Castiel, "is another angel."

Fear flashed across the angel's face as he turned back to Sam and Alastair. Amy helped him to his feet.

"Lilith is not behind this," Alastair grunted, struggling against Sam's powers. "She wouldn't kill seven angels. Oh, she'd kill a hundred, a thousand."

Sam finally released the demon, who fell to the floor.

"Oh, go ahead," Alastair taunted, breathing heavily. "Send me back, if you can."

Sam smiled. "I'm stronger than that now. Now I can kill."

Amy watched in fear as Sam held out his hand again and closed his eyes. Alastair's body began to flash with gold as he let out a loud scream. A moment later, the body collapsed to the ground, dead.

Amy looked down at the corpse for a moment before slowly turning back to face Sam. He had a look of determination on his face. She turned to Cas, only to see that he had the same look on his face as her.

Dean began to stir on the floor. Sam hurried over and gently lifted him up. Without a word, he walked out of the room.

Amy stood frozen in place as she watched Sam walk through the door. A flutter of wings indicated Castiel leaving the room and after a moment of hesitation, she followed Sam out of the building.

* * *

The car ride to the hospital was eerily silent. Sam lay Dean across the backseat and Amy sat in the passenger seat. She stared out the window, doing her best to avoid Sam's gaze.

Sam drove the Impala to the nearest hospital. Amy still didn't say a word as he opened the driver's side door.

"Wait here," Sam instructed.

Amy didn't argue. She gave a simple nod and watched as Sam helped his brother out of the car. He closed the door, leaving Amy alone in the dark as she watched Sam walk Dean inside the hospital.

* * *

Amy was getting bored sitting in the car. Nearly an hour later, Sam walked back out without Dean. He got in the car and closed the door, but didn't start the car.

"Sam-" Amy began hesitantly.

Sam snapped his head to face her. His eyes flashed angrily. "What?"

Amy shook her head. "Nothing," she muttered. She turned to stare out the passenger window again as Sam drove them back to the motel.

* * *

**December 24th, 2008 - Cheyenne, Wyoming**

The next morning, Sam drove them back to the hospital. He led Amy into the room Dean was in. Amy froze in the doorway when Dean came into view. The older hunter was asleep, heavily bandaged with a breathing tube and an IV drip attached to him.

Sam pulled a chair up next to Dean's bed and sat down. Amy sighed as she walked inside the room. She pulled another chair by the window and sat down, pulling her knees to her chest as she looked over at Dean.

A figure appeared in the corner of her eye. Amy looked over to see Castiel standing in the doorway.

"Cas-" Amy began. The angel turned and walked away before she could finish. She stood up, hurrying after the angel.

Sam stepped in front of Amy and jerked his finger towards the room. "Get in there and heal him," he ordered the angel. "Miracle. Now."

Castiel looked down at the floor. "I can't."

"You and Uriel put him in there-" Sam snapped.

Cas looked back up at Sam. "No," he said firmly.

"-because you can't keep a simple devil's trap together," Sam continued.

"I don't know what happened," Cas snapped. "That trap," he let out a deep breath before speaking more calmly, "it shouldn't have broken. I am sorry."

"What happened," Amy spoke up, "was someone broke that trap on purpose. I saw the trap in that room. The only reason it broke was because water from the pipes was dripping onto it."

"This whole thing was pointless," Sam told the angel. "You understand that? The demons aren't doing the hits. Something else is killing your soldiers."

Castiel cast Amy a quick glance. "I know," he admitted.

Sam straightened up, glaring daggers at Castiel. "Then find...the real culprit," he snarled. He turned and walked back into the room.

* * *

Sam and Amy stayed with Dean until a nurse finally asked them to leave. They drove back to the motel in silence. Amy didn't bother changing out of her clothes as she lay down on her bed and closed her eyes, trying to fall asleep.

* * *

Amy woke up with a jolt a few hours later. Uriel was standing at the foot of her bed.

"Uriel?" she asked. "What are you-"

Uriel cut her off. "Come with me."

Amy looked over at Sam, who was still asleep. She turned back to the angel. "What? Why?"

In response, Amy suddenly found herself standing in the room Alastair had been tortured in. She crossed her arms. "What the hell am I doing here?"

Amy let out a panicked gasp as Uriel grabbed her by the throat and pinned her to the wall. "You told Castiel angels were killing the other angels," he snarled. He shoved her hard against the brick wall. "Why?"

Amy struggled against the angel's tightened grip. ' _Cas_ ,' she thought desperately, ' _help me. Please_.'

"Tell me!" Uriel demanded.

"Let her go, Uriel," a familiar voice ordered. Uriel turned away from Amy and Castiel came into view. A glare was plastered on his face as he stood behind Uriel.

"What did this human tell you, Castiel?" Uriel demanded.

Castiel looked over at Amy. "Let...her...go," he repeated.

Uriel tightened his grip around Amy's throat. She was starting to see spots in her vision.

"She's on our side, Uriel."

Uriel dropped Amy to the floor and she collapsed to her knees, trying to regain her breath. The angel took a step towards Castiel. "She told you we were being killed by our own kind, brother. She lied to you and you think she's on our side?"

Castiel cast Amy a quick glance. She nodded to indicate she was alright. "No," Cas finally said, returning his gaze to Uriel, "I don't think she did." He walked around to the back of the demon trap, where the dripping water had broken the seal. "Strange. Strange how a leaky pipe can undo the work of angels when we ourselves are supposed to be the agents of fate."

Uriel shrugged. "Alastair was much more powerful than we had imagined."

Amy slowly rose to her feet as Castiel shook his head. "No," he said. "No demon can overpower that trap. I made it myself." He turned back to face Uriel. "We've been friends for a long time, Uriel. Fought by each other's sides, served together away from home, for what seems like forever. We're brothers, Uriel." Cas took a step forward. "Pay me that respect. Tell me the truth."

Uriel smirked. "The truth is," Uriel turned to face Amy, "the human was right." He turned back to Castiel. "The only thing that can kill an angel," he paused as an angel blade slid out of his sleeve and into his grasp, "is another angel."

Castiel gasped. "You."

Uriel nodded. "I'm afraid so," he admitted.

"And you broke the devil's trap," Castiel continued, "set Alastair on Dean."

Uriel sighed. "Alastair should never have been taken alive. Really inconvenient, Cas. Yes, I did turn the screw a little," he admitted. "Alastair should have killed Dean and escaped, and you should have gone on happily scapegoating the demons."

Amy crossed her arms and walked up to stand next to Castiel. "For killing angels?" she asked.

"My work is conversion," Uriel told her. "How long have we waited here?" he asked Cas. "How long have we played this game by rules that make no sense?"

Castiel turned away. "It is our father's world, Uriel."

"Our father?" Uriel asked. "He stopped being that, if he ever was, the moment he created them," he jerked a finger towards Amy. "Humanity, his favorites. This whining, puking larva."

Castiel turned back around. "Are you trying to convert me?" he asked.

"I wanted you to join me," Uriel snapped. "And I still do. With you, we can be powerful enough to..." Uriel trailed off.

"To," Castiel continued.

"To raise our brother," Uriel finished.

"Lucifer," Castiel realized.

"What the hell?" Amy whispered.

Uriel smiled. "You do remember him." He looked longingly at the ceiling as he walked past Castiel and Amy. "How strong he was, how beautiful." Uriel turned back to face Castiel once more. "And he didn't bow to humanity. He was punished for defending us. Now, if you want to believe in something, Cas, believe in him."

Cas hardened his gaze on Uriel. "Lucifer is not God."

"God isn't God anymore," Uriel snapped. "He doesn't care what we do. I am proof of that."

Castiel shook his head. "But this?" he asked. "What were you gonna do, Uriel? Were you gonna kill the whole garrison?"

"I only killed the ones who said no," Uriel admitted. "Others have joined me, Cas."

"Now, please, brother, don't fight me," Uriel continued. "Help me. Help me spread the word. Help me bring on the apocalypse. All you have to do is be unafraid."

Castiel shook his head and lowered his gaze to the floor. "For the first time in a long time," Castiel's gaze hardened as he looked back up at Uriel, "I am."

Uriel smiled. Castiel gently pushed Amy out of the way before throwing a punch at Uriel that sent him flying through the brick wall several feet away.

Uriel stood back up and quickly advanced towards Castiel, throwing a punch at his face. Cas quickly dodged and threw several more punches at Uriel, knocking him back. Uriel grabbed Cas by the collar and threw him into several wooden boxes across the room.

Amy backed away as Castiel stood back up, spitting blood out of his mouth. He threw a few more punches at Uriel, knocking him against a table with tools on it. Uriel grabbed a metal bar and swung it at Castiel's head, knocking him down.

Uriel raised the metal bar again. As he swung it down, Amy used her powers to snatch it from his hands.

Uriel stared in shock as Amy tossed the bar to the side. "Clever," he said.

"You can't win, Uriel," Castiel insisted, drawing his brother's attention back to him. "I still serve God."

Uriel grabbed Castiel by the collar and lifted him up. "You haven't even met the man." He raised his fist, punching Castiel in the face. "There is no will." He threw another punch at Castiel. "No wrath." Another punch. "No God."

As Uriel raised his fist one more time, Anna appeared behind him and stabbed him in the back of the neck with an angel blade.

Anna pulled a now terrified looking Uriel close to her. "Maybe. Or maybe not," she hissed. "But there's still me."

Anna pulled the blade out of Uriel's neck and he collapsed onto the devil's trap.

Amy watched as a bright, white, light flared in Uriel's eyes and mouth. She quickly shielded her eyes as the light exploded out of the angel, engulfing the entire room. When the light was gone, she turned back to Uriel's body.

The room they were in had been completely destroyed. Blackened wings were seared on the floor where Uriel lay.

Castiel put a hand on Amy's shoulder. "Are you okay?" he asked.

Amy nodded unsteadily. "I think so."

"You can go now, Anna," Castiel said, not looking at the other angel.

"And thank you," Amy added.

Anna nodded and disappeared.

"You knew Uriel was killing Angels, didn't you?" Cas asked.

Amy shook her head. "Not at first. I knew something was off, but it wasn't until I saw the broken trap that it came back to me."

Cas nodded. "Are you hurt?" he asked.

"My neck hurts a little," Amy admitted, "but other than that, I'm fine."

Cas held up his hand. "Let me."

Amy pushed her hair out of the way and the angel placed his hand on her neck. A bright light shined from his hand and a moment later, the pain subsided.

"Thanks, Cas," Amy said gratefully.

"Let's get you back to Sam," Castiel said. He placed a finger on her forehead and Amy suddenly found herself standing back in the motel room.

Sam was standing at the end of his bed, packing his duffle bag. He looked up when Amy appeared in the room. "Hey, there you are," he greeted, "where have you been?"

"Uriel kidnapped me last night," Amy explained. She crossed her arms and sat on the other bed. "He was the one that was killing all of those angels and I kinda figured it out. Luckily Cas saved me." She nodded towards his duffle bag. "We leaving?"

Sam nodded. "Hospital called, said we can check Dean out. After that, we're hitting the road, so pack up." He swung his duffle bag over his shoulder. "I'm glad you're okay."

Amy watched Sam walk out of the motel room. She grabbed her own duffle bag and quickly stuffed her stuff back inside, zipping it closed. She hurried out the room after Sam, closing the motel room door behind her.


	24. It’s a Terrible Life

**Sorry, but this chapter is a little long.**

* * *

" _No!" Amy screeched._

_Dean was on the ground, writhing in pain as something Amy couldn't see tore through his stomach._

" _Stop it!" Another man yelled as Dean rolled onto his stomach. He looked over at a blonde woman, who was smirking by the door. "Please!"_

_Dean screamed out in pain as something slashed through his back and shoulder. He reached for the leg of the table, trying to pull away._

" _Dean!" Amy sank to the floor, watching helplessly as Dean was killed before her eyes._

" _No!" the other man yelled again. "Stop it!"_

_Dean rolled over onto his back again. He had stopped screaming and was now coughing up a lot of blood._

" _Stop it!"_

_Dean's eyes suddenly snapped open, causing Amy to jump back. She looked around at the other people in the room, only to discover that she was no longer in the same place. Everything was now a yellow-greenish color, and dozens of hooks hung around her._

" _Somebody help me!" Dean's voice echoed out._

_Amy gasped, turning her head to the side to spot Dean in the distance. He was hanging with one of the hooks in his shoulder and another was going through his side, his wrists and ankles were bound by shackles._

" _Help!" Dean called out again. "Somebody!"_

" _Dean!" Amy cried out. "Hold on. I'm coming!" She tried to run up to him but found herself stuck in place. Panicking, she looked back up at Dean, who didn't even seem to notice she was there._

_She couldn't reach him. She couldn't save him. Amy tried again, but her feet seemed to be cemented to the spot._

" _Dean!" Amy called out again in a panic. "I can't move! I can't save you!"_

_Dean didn't acknowledge her or even seem to notice she was there._

" _Dean!" Amy tried to make her voice louder. "Dean!"_

* * *

**March 20th, 2009 - Tolville, Ohio**

"Dean!"

Amy sat up in a cold sweat with a jolt, her heart pounding in her chest. The nightmare seemed so real. She swung her feet over the side of her bed, trying to steady her uneven breathing.

A sudden knock on her door caused her to jump again. "Yeah?" she asked, her voice shaking unsteadily.

Her bedroom door opened slowly, and Dean appeared. "Hey, are you okay? You were yelling out my name in your sleep a lot."

Amy nodded. "Yeah. I, uh, I just had a nightmare."

"You wanna talk about it? It might help."

Amy shook her head. "No, that's okay."

Dean frowned. "Amy, listen, I know you haven't known me for that long, but I am your father. You know I'm always gonna be here if you need to talk about anything."

Amy sighed, glancing down at the floor. "I know," she muttered. She had been adopted by Dean Smith almost two years ago when she was seventeen. Despite Amy's protests that there were younger kids who wouldn't be old enough to move out less than a year after being adopted, Dean had adopted her anyway, much to her shock.

Dean sighed. "Okay, well, I gotta get to work." He planted a kiss on Amy's forehead. "Don't forget to do your schoolwork. I'll see you tonight when I get home."

Amy nodded. "See you soon, Dean."

* * *

Once Dean had left for work, Amy headed out into the kitchen and stuck a bagel in the toaster oven for breakfast. She dragged a chair over to the cupboard, standing on it to grab a plate that Dean had decided to put on the top shelf for some reason.

Amy finished making her breakfast and sat down on the black, leather couch, flipping through the TV channels to find something as she ate, before finally settling on Cartoon Network.

She spent the rest of the morning watching cartoons until she grew bored with them. By eleven-thirty, she had finished up all her online schoolwork and still had a few hours until Dean returned home.

* * *

Around lunchtime, Dean called.

Amy answered her phone. "Hey, Dean. What's up?"

"Just checking in," Dean informed her. "Everything going okay over there."

Amy nodded. "Yeah, everything's good. You working late again tonight?"

"Doesn't look like it, no. I should be home around five. You finish your schoolwork?"

"'Bout an hour ago."

"Alright, well, I gotta get back to work. I'll see you later."

"Bye, Dean." Amy hung up her phone, tossing it onto the couch. Dean had gotten a job as the director of sales and marketing three weeks ago at Sandover Bridge and Iron Incorporated. Since then, he had been working later, more than usual. Amy had gotten used to it, though. She liked having more time to herself at the house.

* * *

Dean returned home around seven-thirty and cooked them dinner.

"How was work?" Amy asked as she dug into her spaghetti.

"It was good. You do anything today?"

Amy shook her head. "Not really."

"Hmm." Dean put his fork down. "You find a job yet?"

Amy shook her head. "I've sent in applications to a lot of places, but no one has called yet."

"How would you like to come work at Sandover with me?"

Amy stared up at Dean in shock. "What?"

"I talked to my secretary today-" Dean began.

"Mrs. Powell?"

Dean nodded in confirmation. "She's looking for someone to help out around the office. I told her you were working a job, and she asked me to bring you in tomorrow."

"Really?" Amy asked. She smiled. "Thanks, Dean."

"Make sure you go to bed early tonight," Dean continued. "We gotta leave here at six-thirty."

Amy nodded. "Six-thirty," she repeated, "got it."

* * *

After dinner, Amy helped Dean do the dishes before heading upstairs. She took a quick shower before braiding her hair and slipping into a pair of sweatpants and a comfortable t-shirt for the night.

Around nine, Amy headed back downstairs. Dean was sitting at the kitchen table, doing work. She sat down in the chair across from him.

Dean glanced up at her. "Hey, kiddo," he greeted, "what's up?"

Amy opened her mouth to speak, only to immediately close it again and avert her eyes downward.

"Amy?" Dean asked. "What is it?"

Amy took a deep breath. "You were dying," she revealed, not looking up from the table.

There was a brief pause. "What?" Dean asked.

Amy looked up at her adoptive father. "That nightmare I had last night," she explained. "I dreamt you were being killed. You were on the floor, and there was something, I think it might have been invisible, it was tearing you to shreds."

Dean placed a hand on hers. Amy took another breath.

"There were two other people in the nightmare," she continued, "I didn't recognize them, though. One of them was a blonde woman wearing this black leather jacket, and the other person was this tall man with longish hair. He was yelling at the woman to stop, almost as if she was the one that was..." Amy trailed off. "And then everything changed and...and you were hanging by these hooks. You were calling out for help, and I tried to reach you but...but I couldn't...I couldn't move." She began sobbing, unable to say anything else.

Dean moved around the table, pulling her into a hug. "It was just a dream," he reminded her. "I'm still alive. I'm still here."

Amy wrapped her arms around Dean, hugging him back tightly. "It felt so real," she sobbed.

"It's okay," Dean assured her. "I got you. I'm not going anywhere."

* * *

A few minutes later, Amy had calmed down. She pulled away from Dean's hug.

"You okay?" he asked.

Amy nodded, wiping the tears from her eyes. "Thanks, Dean."

"Anytime, kiddo."

Amy yawned. "I guess I better head to bed now."

Dean nodded in response. "You gonna be okay?"

"Yeah, I think so." Amy stood up from the table. "Night, Dean."

"Goodnight, Amy."

* * *

**March 21th, 2009**

The next morning, Dean woke her up at six, just like he said. Amy pulled on a pair of jeans and a plaid shirt. She ran a comb through her wavy hair before slipping on a pair of Converse and heading downstairs to meet Dean.

"Made you breakfast," Dean said, pushing a plate with toast and scrambled eggs towards her. "Eat up. We gotta leave in twenty minutes."

Amy sat down at the bar and quickly ate her breakfast.

"So, what exactly will I be doing there?" she asked as she dug into her food.

"Just helping out around the office, mostly." Dean began putting his folders into his bag. "You're just starting, so they'll start you off easy, and you can work your way up from there," he paused, looking up at Amy, "that is if you want to," he added.

Amy nodded. She placed her empty plate into the dishwasher, before grabbing her crossbody bag and phone.

"Ready to go?"

Amy nodded again. She swung the strap of her bag over her head and followed Dean downstairs and outside. They crossed the street towards Dean's silver Pontiac, and Amy climbed into the passenger seat. Dean got into the seat driver's seat, tossing his bag in the back, and pulled the car away from the curb.

* * *

It was a twenty-minute drive to Dean's workplace. Amy followed him into the elevator and up to the twenty-second floor. Dean led her down the hallway, passing by a Sandover Bridge and Iron history display on the wall, which Amy stopped to look at for a moment.

Dean continued leading her down the hall to room 2208. He unlocked the door, and they stepped inside. "You can put your stuff right there," he informed her, pointing to a small, black table in the corner of the room.

Amy put her bag on the table and turned back to Dean. "So, now what?"

"Mrs. Powell is on the twentieth floor," Dean informed her. "I'll lead you down there, but then you're on your own."

"Your secretary works two floors below you?" Amy questioned.

Dean shrugged. "I don't make the rules around here, kiddo."

"Okay," Amy said, deciding not to push the matter further.

Dean led Amy back to the elevator, pushing the button for the twentieth floor. A few seconds later, the doors reopened and Dean led her to an office.

"Lia?" Dean asked, knocking on the door as he pushed it open.

A woman was typing away on the computer at her desk when they entered. She looked up at Dean's voice and smiled. "Ah, Dean! Good to see you." The woman nodded towards Amy. "Is this her?"

Dean placed a hand on Amy's shoulder. "This is my daughter, Amy," he introduced. "Amy, this is my secretary, Lia Powell."

Amy extended her hand. "Nice to meet you," she said.

Mrs. Powell shook Amy's hand. "She's so polite," she told Dean.

Dean nodded in agreement. "I've gotta get back to my office. Lia, can you show Amy around? Get her started on whatever she can help out with?"

"I have the perfect job for her to do," Lia confirmed.

"Good." Dean turned to Amy. "Why don't you come up to my office around one, during lunch. You can tell me all about how your first day's going so far."

"Sounds good, Dean," Amy agreed.

"Alright, well, I'll leave you two to it. Have a good day, Amy."

Dean walked out of the room, closing the door behind him.

"I'll show you around the floor first," Mrs. Powell began. "Then I'll show you where you'll be working. Do you know how to work a printer and copier?"

Amy, who had been fiddling with the leaf of a fake, small, plant on the desk, nodded. "Yes, I do."

"Okay, good. Well, come on, then, let's introduce you to everyone."

Amy followed Mrs. Powell out of her office. She followed the woman around the floor, trying to remember where everything was. They had a break room with a microwave and vending machine a few doors down from Mrs. Powell's office

"And this is where our printer and copier is," Mrs. Powell said as she led Amy into a small room. Inside was a single, long table sitting against one of the walls, with five photos stacked on top, and a multifunction printer across from the door.

"We'll start you off with something easy for the day. I need about two hundred copies of each of those photos."

Amy nodded. "Okay."

"I'll check up on you in, say an hour?" Mrs. Powell asked. "See how you're doing in here and maybe get you started on something else. If you finish before then, come find me in my office."

"Sounds good," Amy said.

Mrs. Powell left Amy alone in the room. Amy grabbed one of the photos off the table and got to work.

* * *

Amy continued doing tasks for Mrs. Powell for the next few hours. At one p.m., she made her way up to Dean's office. She took the sandwich Dean had made for her out of the fridge and sat down in the chair next to his desk.

"How's your first day of work going, so far?" Dean asked as he took the lid off his salad.

Amy sighed. "Pretty good, I guess. Mrs. Powell has just been having me run around and make a ton of copies, so far."

"Well, it's only your first day," Dean reminded her. "I'm sure if you kept working, you'll start having more to do."

Amy nodded. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

Dean looked up as someone knocked on the door. "Ah, Mr. Adler," he said with a grin. "What can I do for you?"

Amy turned her head to see a balding man in a business suit standing in the doorway.

"I just thought I'd stop by," Mr. Adler began, "I heard your daughter had started working here today and I wanted to check in, see how things were going."

Dean smiled. "Yes, of course. Amy, this is my boss, Mr. Adler. Mr. Adler, this is my daughter, Amy."

"Nice to meet you, sir," Amy greeted.

"Likewise," Mr. Adler said. "If you're anything like your father, I know I can expect great things from you." He smiled at her.

Dean chuckled at that. "In the year and a half that I've known Amy, she's definitely proven to be a leader of sorts."

"Ah, yes, that's right. I almost forgot you had adopted her."

Dean nodded. "Almost two years ago, now."

Mr. Adler smiled. "Well, I will let you two get back to your lunch. Amy, it was nice to meet you."

Amy smiled but didn't respond. She kept that smile on her face as Mr. Adler walked out of the room, before turning it into a hard glare.

' _Dick_ ,' she thought. Amy frowned at herself. ' _Where had that come from_?' she wondered.

"You okay?" Dean asked.

Amy snapped out of her thoughts as she looked back up at Dean. "Yeah, I'm fine," she replied.

* * *

After lunch, Amy went back downstairs and continued working.

Dean walked into Mrs. Powell's office around five-thirty. "Time to head home, kiddo."

Amy glanced up from the papers she was stapling. "Sure thing." She set the papers down. "See ya, Mrs. Powell."

Mrs. Powell gave her a small nod but didn't look up from her computer.

Dean handed Amy her bag as she joined him in the hallway. "Ready to go?"

Amy nodded. She followed Dean to the elevator and they got in with the other people already inside.

* * *

On the tenth floor, the doors opened back up and a man with a tech support shirt stepped inside. Dean looked at the man uncomfortably, trying to avoid looking at him. Amy did a double-take when she saw the man's face. Long brown hair that stopped halfway down his neck, hazel eyes. He looked exactly like the guy she had seen in her nightmare.

She didn't notice that she had been staring at the man until Dean nudged her.

"Don't stare," he muttered.

The elevator stopped on a floor and everyone except Amy, Dean, and the tech support guy got out.

"Dean?" Amy whispered, nudging her father.

"Not now, Amy," Dean said dismissively.

"Can I ask you a question?" the man asked Dean.

"Look, man, I told you, I'm not into the, uh-"

The man cut Dean off. "Oh, dude, come on, I'm not either. I just wanna ask you one question."

Dean looked around the elevator, trying to find an escape. He sighed. "Sure."

"What do you think about ghosts?" the man asked.

"Dean," Amy tried again.

"Amy, not now," Dean repeated. He looked back up at the man. "Ghosts?"

"Do you believe in them?" the man asked seriously.

Dean chuckled a little. "Uh, tell you the truth, I've never given it much thought."

"Vampires?" the man asked.

Dean looked down at Amy, who shrugged. "What? Why?"

"Because I've been having some weird dreams lately. You know what I mean?" the man continued.

"Speaking of weird dreams," Amy piped up again.

"Amy, seriously-" Dean groaned.

"Why don't you let her say what she wants to say," the man said, cutting Dean off.

Amy smiled. "Thanks, Sammy."

The man frowned. "How did you know my name?" he asked. "And did you just call me 'Sammy'?"

"I-I don't know," Amy said, frowning as well. "But, you were in my nightmare the other night."

"What?" Sam and Dean asked simultaneously.

"I had a nightmare the other night," Amy explained to Sam, "you were in it and another woman, as well."

"Was the woman wearing a black, leather jacket?" Sam asked.

Amy nodded. "She had blonde hair, too."

"Okay, okay," Dean cut in. He looked up at Sam. "Buddy, I'm gonna do you a public service and tell you that uh, you overshare."

The elevator dinged and Dean placed a hand on Amy's shoulder, leading her out of the elevator.

* * *

" _We got company." Amy aimed a shotgun, firing a round through a ghost, dispelling it._

_A man with long, sharp teeth lunged at Amy. She quickly held out a hand and a knife flew into it. She tossed the knife to Sam, who plunged it into the man's back._

_A dark-haired man in a trenchcoat stood in an abandoned warehouse. Lightning flashed and a large pair of black wings silhouetted on the wall behind him._

_Amy smiled as she pulled a man with short, brown hair into a hug. "Thanks," she muttered. "For everything."_

Amy sat up with a jolt. Dean was knocking on the door again. "Get up!" he called out to her. "We gotta leave soon."

* * *

After getting dressed and eating breakfast, Dean drove them back to the office.

"What the-" Dean muttered as he pulled into the parking lot.

Police cars and an ambulance sat in front of the building.

"Did something happen?" Amy asked.

"I don't know. But stay close to me."

Amy followed Dean inside. People were standing in the main lobby, muttering to each other. Dean walked up to one of the workers.

"What's going on?"

"One of the tech support guys killed himself last night after everyone had left," the worker explained. "He put his head in the microwave and just..." the man trailed off.

"Oh God," Amy said.

Dean and Amy made their way up to the tenth floor. There was a large crowd of tech support workers and other workers in business suits. Dean pushed his way through the crowd, holding out a hand to stop Amy once he reached the front.

"Dean, what's going on?" Amy asked, standing on her toes to try and get a good look.

Dean pushed her back. "Stay back, Amy."

Through the crowd of people in front of her, Amy caught a glimpse of a black body bag being wheeled away.

Dean leaned towards another worker in a business suit. "Something about this seem not right to you?"

The man scoffed. "Uh, yeah, try the whole thing. I'm telling you, man, I'll never eat popcorn again."

Dean laughed nervously. "Yeah, right." He grabbed Amy's arm, dragging her into the elevator. "Sorry that you had to see that."

"I didn't see anything," Amy pointed out.

"Yeah, well, be glad you didn't."

* * *

Amy went back to work with Mrs. Powell for a few hours until lunchtime again. Around noon, she got back in the elevator and headed up to meet Dean.

She pushed the door to Dean's office open, only to find it empty. She stuck her head back out into the hallway. "Dean!"

No reply.

"Dean!" Amy called out again.

"Somebody help me!" Dean's panicked voice now rang out through the hallway.

Amy took off running, weaving the people standing in the hallway until she found herself in the bathroom. Dean was kneeling on the floor in front of one of the tech support workers.

The tech support guy was lying on the floor. Dean turned to her and Amy could see that his hands were covered in blood coming from a wound from a pen jammed in the worker's neck.

"Call the police," Dean instructed hoarsely.

* * *

Within minutes, the bathroom was filled with paramedics. Dean was talking to an officer as they wheeled the body away.

"No, I, I followed him into the bathroom," he explained, his voice shaking unsteadily. "He was, uh—he was standing there in front of the mirror, and then-" Dean trailed off as he noticed someone across the room.

Amy followed his gaze and spotted Sam staring back at Dean.

"Continue, sir," the officer nudged.

Dean cleared his throat. "And he stabbed himself in the neck," he finished shakily. "I'm sorry, that's, um..." he trailed off, shaking his head.

* * *

After the officer left, Amy followed Dean back to his office. He picked up a phone and dialed a number.

"What was that guy's name?" he asked. "From the elevator?"

Amy leaned against the wall. "Sam."

Dean nodded, turning his attention back to the phone. "I need to be connected with one of the guys from Tech Support, his name is Sam." There was a brief pause before Dean leaned forward in his chair. "I need to see you in my office. Now," he said sternly. He put the phone back on the receiver.

Amy sat down in one of the chairs behind Dean's desk as Dean took off the bloody shirt and pulled out a new one. "Why do you need to talk to that guy?"

"I don't know." Dean tossed the old shirt into his bag and pulled on the new one, buttoning it absentmindedly.

As Dean finished buttoning up his shirt, there was a knock at the door. Amy looked over to see a confused Sam standing in the doorway.

"Come on in," Dean instructed. "Shut the door."

Sam walked into the office, shutting the door behind him.

"Who the hell are you?" Dean demanded.

Sam sighed. "I'm not sure I know."

"How do you not know who you are?" Amy questioned.

Sam cleared his throat. "Sam Wesson," he said. "I started here three weeks ago."

Dean nodded. "All right. You cornered me in the elevator talking about ghosts. And now..." he trailed off.

"Now what?" Sam asked after a pause.

Dean shook his head. "Now nothing. I, uh...so you started working here three weeks ago, huh?" Sam nodded and Dean let out a breath. "Yeah, me too." He took a water bottle filled with an opaque liquid and opened the lid. "It's the Master Cleanse," he explained. "You tried it? Phenomenal. Detoxes you like nobody's business." He took a sip.

Dean began to look uncomfortable, which didn't go unnoticed by Sam. "When you were in that bathroom with Ian, did you see something?" Sam questioned.

"I don't know. I don't know what I saw," Dean replied nervously.

"Dean?" Amy asked. "What happened?"

"Wait. Are you saying that...did you see a ghost?" Sam asked.

"I was freaking out," Dean defended. "The guy penciled his damn neck."

"You did, didn't you?" Sam asked.

Dean nodded reluctantly.

"Okay, listen. What if these suicides aren't suicides?" Sam continued. "I mean, what if they're something not natural?"

' _Damnit, Sam. You had one job_ ,' Amy thought. She frowned. One job? What the hell did that mean?

"So, what, ghosts are real?" Dean asked, not noticing Amy's frown. "And they're responsible for all the dead bodies around here? Is that what you're telling me?"

"I know it sounds crazy," Sam said as he sat down in one of the chairs behind Dean's desk. "But yes. That's what I'm telling you."

Dean sat down at his computer. "Uh-huh. Based on what?"

Sam thought for a moment. "Instinct."

Dean looked down, shaking his head. Finally, he looked back up. "I've got the same instinct," he admitted.

"Me too," Amy added. "There's something about all of this that doesn't feel right. And I had another dream last night."

Sam looked at her. Seriously?" he asked. "What did you dream about?"

"More than one thing, actually. There was this ghost that I shot with a gun, causing it to disappear, I made a knife fly into my hand before tossing it to Sam, who stabbed this guy with long, fang-like teeth with it, uh, there was this guy in a trench coat with wings, and this other guy who I was hugging and thanking for something."

"What if these dreams aren't dreams?" Sam asked.

Dean looked at him, confused. "What do you mean?"

"What if they're something more?" Sam continued. "Like memories. I mean, think about it, I dream about a ghost, and then it turns out that there's a real ghost."

"So you're telling me that your dreams are special visions and you're some kind of psychic?" Dean asked.

Sam scoffed. "No. I mean, that would be nuts." He chuckled. "I'm just saying something weird is definitely going on around here, right? So I've been digging around a little."

Sam pulled a couple of papers out of his bag. "I think I found a connection between the two guys," he explained.

Dean took the papers from Sam and studied them. "You broke into their email accounts?"

Sam shifted nervously in his seat. "I used some skills that I happen to have to satisfy my curiosity."

Amy let out a small laugh. "Nice."

Dean nodded in agreement.

Sam sighed in relief. "Yeah. Okay. So it turns out Ian and Paul both got this same email telling them to report to HR, room fourteen forty-four."

Dean looked up from the papers in confusion. "HR's on seven."

Sam nodded. "Exactly."

"Why would they get emails telling them to go to the wrong room?" Amy asked.

"Maybe we should go check it out and see," Dean suggested.

"Like right now?" Sam asked.

Dean shook his head. "No. No, it's getting late. You're right."

Sam looked at Dean expectantly. "I am dying to check this out right now," he finally said.

Dean smiled. "Right?"

Amy stood up. "Awesome! Let's go."

Dean looked up at her and shook his head. "No. You're not going."

Amy sat back down. "Dean!" she protested.

"No!" Dean snapped. "I don't know what I'd do if anything happened to you. You're staying here."

"And I don't know what I'd do if anything happened to you," Amy argued back. "You're the only family I have. If you die, I have nothing."

"Wait, she's your family?" Sam asked.

"She's my daughter," Dean explained quickly, "I adopted her." He turned back to Amy. "You're staying here and that's final."

Amy huffed. "Fine."

Dean nodded to Sam. "Let's get going."

* * *

Sam and Dean left Amy alone in the room, closing the door behind them. Amy paced around the room nervously, waiting for them to return.

' _What the hell is going on around here?_ ' she wondered. ' _This doesn't feel right. None of it does.'_

"Hey, kiddo," a voice said behind her. Amy spun around to see a man sitting on Dean's desk. "Haven't seen you in a while. You okay?"

Amy recognized the man from her dream the night before. Brown hair and eyes, wearing a black shirt with a green jacket over it. "Uh, yeah?" she asked. She looked behind her at the still closed door, then back at the man. "Sorry, do I know you?"

The man scoffed. "Oh, haha, very funny." He stood up from the desk and started approaching her. "You can drop the act now."

Amy backed away. "Seriously, who the hell are you? How did you get into my dad's office?"

The man froze. "Your dad?" he asked. "Amy, seriously drop the act. Are you okay?"

"I feel fine," Amy insisted. "You still haven't told me who you are or how you got into my dad's office though. Do you work here?"

The man got a look of realization on his face. "You really don't remember, do you?"

Amy crossed her arms. "Remember what?"

"What do you know?" the man asked.

"I know I was adopted by Dean Smith almost two years ago, after living in an orphanage for seventeen years," Amy told him. "I've lived here with him in Ohio ever since. He just started working here as the director of sales three weeks ago. I just started working here yesterday and we met this guy named Sam Wesson." She crossed her arms. "Then all this weird stuff started happening."

The man groaned. "I'm going to kill my brother."

"Kill?" Amy asked. "What are you talking about?"

The man started walking towards her again. Amy walked back until she found herself pinned against the wall.

"Sorry about this," the man said. He placed two fingers on her forehead.

"Hey, what are you-" Amy suddenly stopped as memories began flooding back into her head. Sam and Dean Winchester, hunting monsters, the show, Lilith, Ruby, Cas, and...

Amy looked up at the man, who she now recognized, and threw her arms around him in a hug. "Gabe, what the hell happened?"

"And she's back, ladies and gentlemen!"

Amy pulled away from the hug and looked around the room. She was standing in what appeared to be an office. "Where am I?" she asked.

"Do you remember anything from the past few days?" Gabe asked.

Amy shook her head. "The last thing I remember was stopping at a motel with Sam and Dean while on our way to our latest case."

"Seems someone decided to give you guys fake memories and drop you here."

Amy groaned. "Now I remember," she said. She walked past Gabe and sat on the desk. "This is the episode where Zachariah dropped Sam and Dean in the middle of a haunted building and gave them fake memories. They don't even remember they're brothers."

"Zachariah's here?" Gabe asked.

Amy nodded.

Gabe groaned. "Great."

Amy raised an eyebrow at the archangel in confusion. "What's up?"

"Let's just say, he's one of the last people I wanna run into here," Gabe explained.

Amy stood up from the desk. "Well, I am gonna go help out Sam and Dean. I don't think Sam Wesson and Dean Smith really know what they're getting into." She opened the office door and turned around. "Wanna come?"

"Do you really think I should?" Gabe asked.

Amy shrugged. "I didn't recognize where I was when you gave me my memories back," she reminded the archangel. "I doubt that after Sam and Dean get their memories back, they'll remember seeing you." She shrugged. "You don't have to, if you don't want to, though. I just wanted some company." She paused. "Besides, I actually don't know where I'm going," she admitted.

Gabe smiled. "Alright, let's go then. Room fourteen forty-four."

* * *

Amy and Gabe didn't need to go very far before Sam and Dean came barreling down the hallway. Amy had to stop herself from laughing at their outfits.

"We...need...to...go," Dean said in between heavy breaths. "Now."

"What happened?" Amy asked.

Dean grabbed his bag and the car keys. "We'll tell you in the car." He looked up at Gabe. "Who's this?"

"Uh..." Amy looked up to see that Gabe had transformed into a different look.

Gabe stepped forward. "Ed Coleman," he said, extending a hand. "I'm new here."

Dean nodded uneasily. "Uh, huh. I'll just ignore the fact that you decided to come into my office in the middle of the night and talk to my daughter, but I'm afraid you're gonna have to leave now." He gestured Amy towards the door. "Let's go."

Without even waiting for Amy to follow them, Sam and Dean started walking down the hall.

"He didn't even try to kill me," Gabe said in shock.

Amy shrugged. "I told you, they don't remember anything. Also, Mystery Spot guy?"

Gabe shrugged, transforming into his normal look. "Didn't wanna risk anything."

"Yeah, no, I get it," Amy told the archangel. She started walking toward the door. "Well," she said with a sigh, "this next day or so should be fun."

"You gonna try and get them to remember everything?" Gabe asked.

Amy shook her head. "I highly doubt I'll be able to. No, I'll just keep pretending to be Dean's daughter, I guess. Maybe try and speed all this along, if I can. Hopefully, this will all be over soon, anyway, and we can go back to our normal, messed-up lives." She pointed her thumb down the hallway. "I should probably get going, though."

Gabriel nodded. "Right. I'll see you soon."

Amy smiled. "I hope so. And, Gabe?"

"Yeah?"

Amy wrapped her arms around the archangel in another hug. "Thanks. For everything."

"For what?" Gabe asked.

"Just...being there, whenever I need someone." She pulled away from the hug. "Thanks for being my friend."

Without another word, Amy took off running down the hallway after Sam and Dean. She found them waiting for her by a silver Prius.

"What the hell took you so long?" Dean asked.

"I was talking with that guy," Amy explained.

"I told you we needed to leave," Dean told her as they got into the car.

"Okay, well, sorry," Amy said as Dean started the engine and started driving down the street. "What did you guys see in there, anyway?"

"We think we may have seen a ghost," Sam explained

Amy smiled enthusiastically. "Cool!"

"No, not cool," Dean argued. "That thing was downright scary."

"If you say so," Amy said, leaning against the window. "What did it look like?"

"Some old dude," Dean explained. "The same one I saw in the bathroom. He had this lightning in his fingers."

"Lightning?" Amy asked.

Sam nodded. "Yeah. He was going after one of the other tech support workers when we got there. If Dean hadn't swung that wrench at it, I don't think we would have gotten out of there alive."

* * *

They reached Dean's apartment a short while later. Dean paced around the living room nervously, drinking his Master Cleanse, while Sam and Amy sat on the table, watching him.

"Holy crap, dude," Dean said, breaking the long silence.

Sam laughed nervously. "Yeah. I could use a beer."

Dean stopped pacing. "Oh, sorry, man. I'm on the Cleanse. I got rid of most of the carbs in the house. Amy, could you grab a couple of water bottles from the fridge?"

Amy nodded and headed into the kitchen. She grabbed two water bottles from the fridge, handing one to Sam.

"Hey. How the hell did you know that ghosts are scared of wrenches?" Sam asked as he took the water.

"Crazy, right?" Dean asked. "And nice job kicking that door too," he praised. "That was very Jet Li. What are you, like a black belt or something?"

Sam shrugged. "No. I have no clue how I did that. It's like...we've done this before."

"What like...in another life?" Amy asked.

"No." Sam sighed. "I—I just can't shake this feeling like I—like I don't belong here. You know? Like I should do something more than sit in a cubicle."

Dean scoffed. "I think most people who work in a cubicle feel that same way."

Amy silently agreed.

Sam snook his head. "No. Well, look, it's more than that. Like, I don't like my job. I don't like this town. I don't like my clothes. I don't like my own last name."

"It's better than Smith," Amy pointed out.

"I don't know how else to explain it," Sam continued, "except that...it feels like I should be doing something else. There's just something in my blood. Like I was destined for something different. What about you? Have you ever felt that way?"

Dean paused for a moment, contemplating what Sam had said. Finally, he shook his head. "I don't believe in destiny," he said. "I do believe in dealing with what's right in front of us, though."

"The ghost," Amy spoke up.

Dean gave her a small nod. "Exactly." He put his Master Cleanse on the counter and walked towards the table with his laptop on it.

"All right, so, what do we do now?" Sam asked.

"We do what I do best, Sammy. Research."

Sam nodded. "Okay." He paused, realizing what Dean had said. "Did you just call me Sammy?"

Dean froze in his tracks. "Did I?"

Sam thought for a moment. "I think you did. Yeah." He shuddered slightly. "Don't."

Dean looked puzzled for a moment. "Sorry."

"Okay, so, the ghost would most likely be someone who used to work in the building, right?" Amy asked.

"What makes you say that?" Dean questioned.

"Well, I mean, every ghost show I've ever seen, ghosts are tied to the places that they haunt, usually because of something they owned inside the building," Amy explained.

"And you think a fictional ghost show will help us here?" Sam asked.

"You guys literally just saw a ghost and you're questioning whether or not tips from a ghost show will be helpful?" Amy asked.

Sam and Dean looked at each other, contemplating for a moment.

Finally, Sam shrugged. "She's got a point."

Dean opened his laptop. "So, I should look for anyone who might have an important connection to the building?"

"Check to see if anyone has ever died in the building," Amy explained.

Dean nodded and turned to the screen.

* * *

Ten minutes later, Dean looked up from the screen. "Jackpot!"

"You find something?" Sam asked as he and Amy gathered behind Dean to see the screen.

Dean showed him his laptop screen. On it, was an article about the death or Sandover's founder, along with a picture. "That's him," he said, pointing to the picture. "That's the ghost."

"P.T. Sandover," Sam read. "Died 1916. Devoted his life to his work. No wife, no kids."

"Office 1444 was considered to be the center of the company's operations, with Sandover himself overseeing all details of any construction project the company undertook," Amy continued reading. "Considered to be a difficult person to work for, P.T. Sandover had an exceptionally high standard of quality, often marching onto construction sites and halting all work until he personally inspected each aspect of the structure. Aiming for perfection is perhaps why the Sandover legacy is so impressive, dominating the industry with the scale and scope of its projects."

"Used to say he was the company, and his very blood pumped through the building," Sam finished.

Dean grimaced. "Wow, okay. So slight workaholic. Maybe he's still here, you know, watching over the company, even killing for it."

"Making model employees," Amy added.

Sam pointed to the screen. "Says right there that this isn't the first time people started killing themselves in the building. 1929."

"Lots of people jumped off high rises at the start of the Great Depression," Amy pointed out.

"How many companies had seventeen suicides?" Sam asked.

Dean let out a breath. He stood up and started pacing around the table. "Okay, so P. T. Sandover, protector of the company. His ghost wakes up and becomes active during times of grave economic distress."

"Well, I mean, the worst time we've seen since the Great Depression-"

"-is now," Dean finished. "Yeah, now sucks. My portfolio's in the sewer. I don't even wanna talk about it." He grimaced.

Sam sighed. "So Sandover's helping the bottom line-"

"-by zapping some model employees," Dean finished.

Sam sat down at Dean's laptop and started scrolling through the article. "Yeah. I mean, Ian and Paul..." he trailed off, shaking his head. "It was like he turned them into different people."

"Perfect worker bees, exactly," Dean continued. "So devoted to the company that they would commit hara-kiri if they failed it."

"Huh," Sam said, looking at something on the screen. "One more interesting fact. The building wasn't always that high."

"Let me guess," Amy said, "used to be fourteen floors?"

Sam nodded. "And the room where the ghost attacked fourteen forty-four? Once upon a time, that was the old man's office."

Dean sighed. "Okay, so, how the hell are we supposed to defeat a ghost."

"Iron and salt dispels them," Amy pointed out. At Sam and Dean's weird looks, she added "got it from my shows."

"Since when do you watch ghost shows?" Dean asked.

Amy shrugged. "There was one on one day and I watched it because there was nothing else on. Ended up liking it."

"Hmm." Dean walked over to the fireplace. "So, iron and salt, huh?"

Amy nodded. "Rocksalt also works. Shotgun shell packed full of it." She walked into the kitchen and began searching through the pantry, quickly finding a salt shaker.

Dean packed two iron pokers in a duffle bag. "Where do we even get a gun?" he asked as Amy handed him the salt.

Sam shrugged. "Gun store?"

"Isn't there like some kind of waiting period or something?" Dean asked.

"Okay, so, maybe skip the guns," Amy suggested.

Dean zipped up the bag. "So, iron and salt," he said, "but that only gets rid of them for a moment, right?"

Amy nodded. "The show also said something about burning the remains of whoever died. Usually, it means digging up a body, but in some cases, like when the body was cremated, something that belonged to the person who died could be in the building they're haunting. And that item could have some DNA in it." She grabbed a lighter off of the counter, tossing it into the bag.

"How the hell do you know so much about this?" Dean asked his fake daughter.

Amy shrugged. "That ghost show goes into a lot of detail."

Sam and Dean exchanged a look. Sam shrugged and Dean turned back to Amy.

"Alright," Dean said as he picked up the duffle bag. "Sam and I will be back in a bit." He paused. "Hopefully," he added.

Sam and Dean began walking towards the exit, but Amy stepped in front of them, blocking their path.

"I'm going with," she declared.

Dean shook his head. "I'm not risking putting your life in danger. Stay here."

"No!" Amy snapped. "It'll go better with three people. Let me help, Dean."

"Damn it, Amelia, no!" Dean bellowed.

"Maybe she should come with," Sam muttered.

"You don't get a say in this," Dean snapped at Sam. He looked back at Amy. "You're my daughter," he reminded her. "I'm not putting your life in danger."

"I'm also an adult," Amy pointed out, "and I'm capable of making my own decisions. Like this one. I'm coming with, whether you like it or not."

Dean groaned. "There's no point arguing with you, is there?" he asked.

Amy shook her head. "Nope."

"Maybe it'll be safer with three people," Sam spoke up, "like she said."

Dean spun around. "Do you have a daughter?" he asked. "Or a son?"

Sam shook his head. "No, but-"

Dean cut him off. "Then stay out of this."

Sam straightened up, towering over Dean. "But, if I did," he continued, "I'd let her come with. Especially if I knew she could help."

"Thank you, Sam," Amy said gratefully. Sam nodded in acknowledgment.

Dean let out a long sigh. "Fine," he agreed reluctantly, "you can come. But stay close and don't get involved in any physical confrontation."

Amy nodded. "Deal." She pointed to the door. "Now, can we go? We got a ghost to find."

Dean led the way out of the apartment, closing the door behind them.

* * *

**March 22nd, 2008**

They reached the building sometime after midnight. Amy grabbed the duffle bag from the backseat and followed Sam and Dean inside.

Dean led them into the elevator. "Set your cell phone to walkie-talkie in case we get separated," he instructed.

"How the hell are we gonna find some ancient speck of DNA in a skyscraper?" Sam asked.

"Well, I mean, the ghost was the founder of Sandover, right?" Amy asked. "Maybe they have some sort of memorial for him or something in the building."

"Well, that creepy storeroom used to be Sandover's office, right?" Dean asked. Sam nodded and Dean pushed the button to go to the fourteenth floor.

When the elevator stopped, Dean led them down the hall to the correct room. Amy dropped the duffle bag near the door.

"Alright, start searching," Dean told them, "there's gotta be something around here."

Dean went looking behind some shelves while Amy stayed near Sam to look through the desk.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

Amy quickly spun around to see a security guard standing behind her and Sam, shining a flashlight in their faces.

"Nothing," Sam insisted. "I just-" he looked at Amy for help.

"We work here," Amy told the guard. "I, uh, forgot something and needed to get it back as soon as possible."

"Uh-huh," the guard said, not buying their story. He grabbed Sam and Amy by their arms. "Come with me, you two."

Amy looked back for any sign that Dean was coming to help them as the guard dragged them out of the room, but she only caught a glimpse of him hiding behind some shelves.

The guard pulled Sam and Amy out of the room, turning to close the door behind them.

"Man, listen. Look. It's okay," Sam insisted. "We work here, honest."

The guard rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Tell it to the cops."

Amy and Sam got dragged down to the elevator. The guard pushed a button and they started going down several floors.

Around the tenth floor, the weather screen in the elevator suddenly turned to static.

"Damnit," Amy hissed. The visibility of her breath didn't go unnoticed.

The elevator screeched to a halt, causing everyone to briefly lose their balance. The guard let out a groan before using his elevator key to open the inner doors. They were stuck between two floors, with just enough room for one person to climb through to the above floor. Amy stepped back as the guard struggled to open the outer doors.

"Well, come on," the guard instructed.

Sam looked at Amy nervously. "What?"

The guard turned to face them. "Last time this happened, it took them two hours to get here."

"Let's just wait," Sam suggested.

The guard gave Sam a confused look, before turning back to the doors and crawling out, almost kicking Sam in the face in the process. Once he was out, he turned back to the inside of the elevator.

Amy grabbed the guards hand, letting him help her onto the next floor. "Sam, come on," she urged once she was on solid ground.

Sam let out a nervous laugh. "Seriously, I'll wait."

The guard stuck his head back inside the elevator. "Look, I don't have the rest of my life," he snapped impatiently.

As soon as he said that, the elevator jerked down abruptly. Amy screamed as the guard was sliced in half and blood sprayed all over Sam's face and shirt.

Amy cautiously leaned into the elevator to see the guard's decapitated head at Sam's feet.

After a while, Dean's voice coming through Sam's phone broke the silence. "Hey. Are you okay?"

Sam slowly pulled out his phone with a shaky hand. "Call you back," he replied weakly. He put his phone away and looked up at Amy. "You okay?"

Amy nodded. "I'm fine. Now would you please get out of there before you fall ten stories?"

Sam quickly climbed out of the elevator, past the guard's corpse. "How are you so calm about what just happened?" he asked, his voice still shaking slightly.

Amy shrugged. "I've never had a problem with gore. You got a towel or something? You, uh, got something on your face."

Sam walked down the aisle of cubicles before disappearing into another room, emerging a moment later with a towel. He wiped the blood off his face as he led Amy through the floor.

As they approached the stairwell, Sam pulled his phone back out and pushed the talk button. Dean, are you there?"

Dean's voice came through the speaker. "Yeah, listen, I think I got it," he told them. "Meet me on twenty-two."

Sam pushed the door to the stairs open and Amy followed him through. "Okay, yeah. Just, uh, take the stairs," he replied nervously. Sam closed his phone back up and put it back in his pocket.

"We're gonna climb twelve floors?" Amy asked.

Sam looked up at the many stairs that awaited them. "I'm not taking the elevator. Now come on."

* * *

Within fifteen minutes, they had reached the twenty-second floor. Amy stopped to catch her breath before following Sam down the hallway.

They found Dean standing by the Sandover history display, near a glass case with some gloves in them.

Dean opened his mouth to say something but stopped when he saw the blood on Sam's shirt. "Whoa. That's a lot of blood," he commented.

Sam glared at his brother. "Yeah, I know."

Amy pointed to the gloves. "Those them?"

Dean continued to stare at Sam hesitantly for a moment, before answering. "Uh, yeah. P. T. Sandover's gloves."

Sam studied the glass case.

"How much you guys wanna bet there's a little smidge of DNA in there?" Dean continued. "You know, like a fingernail clipping or a hair or two? Something."

Amy grabbed an iron poker from the duffle bag, handing the other out for Sam or Dean to take. "Let's do this," she said with a smile.

"So you ready?" Sam asked as he took the other poker from Amy.

Dean grabbed the poker Amy had, much to her dismay. "I have no idea," he admitted.

Sam let out a heavy sigh. "Me neither."

Amy grabbed the salt from the bag and stood back, preparing herself to fight.

Sam gave Dean a nod. "Go for it."

Dean used the poker to break the glass, pushing the shards away. Sam's breath became visible as Sandover suddenly appeared directly behind Dean.

"Dean, look out!" Amy cried out. She snatched the iron poker out of Sam's hands and swung it through the ghost.

Sandover vanished, but only for a moment. Amy didn't have time to react as she and Sam were suddenly thrown back into the wall, while Dean was thrown into another.

The ghost started approaching Amy, electricity sparking in his fingertips. Sam quickly grabbed the salt shaker and flung it at the ghost, dispelling it.

"Oh. Nice," Dean praised as he stood up.

Sandover suddenly reappeared behind Dean.

"Dean." Sam grabbed the iron poker and tossed it to Dean.

"Behind you!" Amy added as Dean caught the poker and spun around, swinging it through the ghost.

Sam smiled in amusement. "Nice catch."

"Right?" Dean laughed.

Amy quickly stood up and walked over to the gloves. "I'll get the gloves," she offered. "You guys just keep him from getting me."

Sam and Dean each grabbed a poker and stood with their backs to each other, next to Amy. Amy quickly grabbed the gloves from the case.

As Amy turned back around, Sandover reappeared directly in front of her. She ducked to avoid the pokers being swung by Sam and Dean. Sandover immediately reappeared behind Sam, throwing Dean into the wall down the hall and knocking him unconscious.

"Dean!" Amy cried out. Dean stirred slightly but didn't wake.

Sam swung the poker through Sandover, but the ghost immediately reappeared behind them, throwing Amy and Sam into opposite walls.

Sandover began to approach Dean, his hands sparking. Amy quickly crawled over and grabbed the gloves. She grabbed the gloves before rummaging through the duffle bag for the lighter. As Sandover got closer to Dean, Amy quickly lit the lighter, using it to ignite the gloves.

Amy dropped the burning gloves to the ground as she and Sam watched Sandover burn away. She dropped the lighter back in the bag as Sam stood up and walked over to her.

A groan alerted them to Dean down the hall, who was finally waking up.

"Dean, you okay?" Amy asked.

Dean let out another groan. "Yeah, I'm good."

Sam let out a laugh. "That was amazing."

Dean nodded in agreement. "Right?" he asked with a grin. He stood back up. "Come on. I got a first-aid kit in my office."

* * *

Dean led them into the office, flicking on the lights. Sam sat down on the desk while Dean reached into a cupboard and pulled out a white box, before sitting down next to his brother. Amy pulled a chair up next to the desk and sat down.

Dean laughed. "Man, I gotta tell you. I've never had so much fun in my life."

"Me neither."

Amy merely smiled in amusement.

Dean opened the first-aid kit. "That was a hell of a workout too, wasn't it?"

"Got that right," Amy commented.

Sam contemplated something for a moment. "We should keep doing this," he finally said.

"I know," Dean said, not understanding what Sam meant. He pulled two gauze pads from the kit, handing one to Sam. "Amy, you need one?"

Amy shook her head. "I'm good."

"I mean it," Sam continued. "There gotta be other ghosts out there. We could help a lot of people."

Dean scoffed. "Yeah, we'd be real-life Ghostbusters."

"No, really. I mean, for real," Sam pushed.

"Sam's right, Dean," Amy spoke up. "This isn't supposed to be your life. It's not supposed to be our lives."

"What are you guys talking about?" Dean asked. "We-we quit our jobs and hit the road?"

Sam nodded. "Exactly."

"Yes," Amy said at the same time.

Dean stared at Sam and Amy in disbelief. "How would we live?"

"Uh..." Sam trailed off, unable to think of anything.

Dean scoffed again. "You gotta be kidding me. How would we get by? With stolen credit cards? Huh? Eating diner food drenched in saturated fats? Sharing a crap motel room every night?"

Amy snickered, which went unnoticed by Sam and Dean.

"That's all just details," Sam argued.

"Besides," Amy added, "I think it would be worth it."

"You don't wanna go fighting ghosts without any health insurance," Dean pointed out.

Sam looked down and cleared his throat. "All right, um, confession."

Dean paused, looking back at Sam. "What?"

"Remember those dreams I told you about with the ghosts?" Sam asked.

Dean nodded. "Yeah?"

"I was fighting them," Sam admitted.

Dean put the first-aid kit away and sat back down on the desk. "Okay."

"With you," Sam continued. He looked over at Amy. "With both of you. The three of us, we were these, like, hunters, and we were friends." He scoffed. "More like a family, really. I mean, what if that's who we really are? I mean, you saw us back there, working together. The ghost was scrambling people's brains. What if it scrambled ours?"

Dean shook his head. "That's insane."

Sam stood up from the desk. "Is it? Think about it for just one second. What if we think this is our life, but it's not?"

"Hey, man, the ghost is dead and we're still standing," Dean pointed out. "I mean, I'm sorry, but-"

"There's way more than just one ghost, Dean," Amy pointed out. "There are dozens, maybe hundreds all across the states."

"All I know," Sam continued, "is this isn't who we're supposed to be."

Dean shook his head. "No. I'm Dean Smith, okay? Director of Sales and Marketing. I went to Stanford. My father's name is Bob, my mother's name is Ellen, and my sister's name is Jo. Amy is my daughter, I adopted her almost two years ago."

"No, I'm not."

Dean looked up at Amy. "What?" he asked quietly.

"I said I'm not your daughter, Dean," Amy repeated.

Dean looked slightly hurt and Amy started to feel bad.

"Of course you're my daughter," Dean said. "I adopted you on January fourteenth, 2008. You were seventeen and you didn't know why I was picking you out of all the others because there were other girls there that I could watch grow up. But I still wanted to adopt you, out of all the others."

Amy wiped a tear from her eye. "Dean, I wish that were true, I really do. I am part of your family, yours and Sam's family, but you didn't adopt me. Sam and I were kidnapped by demons at the end of April in 2007. Before then, it was just the two of you. Sam and Dean, the Winchester bros. Saving people, hunting things, the family business. January fourteenth is the day you finally let me start going on hunts with you, not the day you adopted me."

The teen let out a long sigh. "Sam is right, Dean. Your brains have been scrambled. But not by a ghost, by an angel. I've had my memories back for the past few hours, but the two of you have still been running around blind. Your mother is Mary Winchester. She was killed by a demon when you were four and your father, John spent the rest of his life dedicated to finding it, while training you and Sam to be hunters in the process. You were literally raised to do this, Dean." Amy looked up at Sam, who hadn't said a single word. "Both of you were."

Dean stared at Amy, and she swore she could see his heart shatter into a million pieces. He opened his mouth to say something, but closed it back up again, turning his head to the ground. "So, you don't wanna be my daughter anymore?"

Amy shook her head. "I'm saying I never was. And, now that I say that out loud, I realize it sounds way worse. But Dean, I'm still part of your family, just not in the way you think."

Sam finally spoke up. "When was the last time you spoke to the rest of your family?" he asked quietly. "To any of them?"

Dean wiped a tear away. "I don't know," he admitted, "but look, I know you're upset. You're upset, you're confused-"

Sam cut Dean off. "Yeah, 'cause I only moved here 'cause I just broke up with my fiancée, Madison," he snapped. "But I called her number and I got a damn animal hospital."

"Okay. What are you saying?" Dean asked. "Are you trying to say that my family isn't real? Huh? That we've been injected with fake memories? Come on."

"Yes, Dean!" Amy exclaimed in exasperation. "That's exactly what we're saying."

"All I know is, I got this feeling in my gut," Sam continued. "And I know—I know that deep down, you gotta be feeling it too. We're supposed to be something else. You're not just some corporate douchebag. This isn't you. I know you."

Dean stared at Sam for a moment. "Know me?" he finally asked. "You don't know me, pal. You should go."

Without another word, Sam turned and walked out of the office.

* * *

Neither Dean nor Amy said a word the entire ride home. Every time Amy had tried to apologize to Dean, he had brushed her off. She found her bedroom without a word, but couldn't find it in her to fall asleep while waiting for the next day to approach. She felt bad for all those things she had said to Dean. To him, she was Amy Smith, his adopted daughter.

Amy rolled over under the covers. She just hoped that tomorrow this would all get sorted out and they could go back to their normal, messed-up lives.

* * *

**March 23rd, 2008**

The next day, Dean still wasn't talking to her. Amy ate a bowl of cereal in silence before getting into the silver Prius with Dean as he drove them back to Sandover.

Amy followed Dean to his office, knowing she would likely see "Mr. Adler" today. Dean turned around to face her as he unlocked the door, finally speaking to her for the first time since the previous night.

"Head on downstairs to work," he told her, "I'll pick you up after your shift."

Amy shook her head. "Sorry, Dean. Not happening." She pushed past him into the office, sitting down at the table near the desk.

Dean hesitated in the doorway, staring at her for a moment before finally walking into the office and sitting down at the computer.

* * *

It didn't take long for Zachariah to knock on the door to the office.

"Got a minute?" he asked Dean.

Dean looked up from the computer he had been typing away at for the last twenty minutes and smiled. "Sure, of course."

Zachariah entered the office and shut the door. He turned to face Dean, only to spot Amy still sitting at the table.

"Shouldn't you be downstairs working with Mrs. Powell?" the angel asked.

Amy shook her head. "No, Zachariah, I don't think I should."

Zachariah's eyes got wide. "You remember?"

Amy nodded. "Since yesterday," she hissed. "Now I would appreciate it if you would give Dean back his memories. Now."

"Amelia!" Dean snapped.

Zachariah held up a hand. "No, no, it's alright." He turned back to Amy, lowering his voice so only she could hear. "How did you get your memories back?"

"Like I'd tell you," Amy snarled.

Zachariah smirked before turning to Dean. "You look a little tired," he commented. "Been working hard, I gather."

"Yeah," Dean mumbled, casting a few glances in Amy's direction.

Zachariah brushed off Dean's tone. "Ah, don't be modest. I hear everything. And I'm pleased with what I'm hearing." He sat down at the desk and pulled out a pen and a piece of notepaper "That's why it's important to me that you're happy." The angel wrote a number on the paper and slid it over to Dean. "How's that for a bonus?"

Dean took the paper and looked at it in surprise. "That's very generous," he said slowly.

Zachariah shrugged and leaned back in the seat. "Purely selfish. Wanna make sure you're not going anywhere."

"Wow. Are you sure?" Dean asked.

Zachariah nodded. "Positive. You are Sandover material, son. Real go-getter. Carving your own way."

Dean smiled. "Well, thanks. I try."

"I see big things in your future. Maybe even senior VP, Eastern Great Lakes Division."

Dean stared at the angel in shock.

Zachariah continued while Dean contemplated everything over. "Don't get me wrong, you'll have to work for it. Seven days a week, lunch at your desk, but in eight to ten short years, that could be you."

Dean slowly took off his headset and placed it on the desk. "Uh, well, thank you. Thank you, sir. It's, um...but..." Dean slid the paper back across the desk. "I am giving my notice."

Zachariah frowned. "This is a joke. You're kidding me, right? We can give you enough to put Amy through college if that's what you want."

Dean's gaze flickered over to Amy. She crossed her arms and shook her head.

Dean turned back to the angel. "No. I've- I recently- uh, very recently realized that I have some other work I have to do. It's, uh, very important to me."

"Other work?" Zachariah frowned. "Another company?"

Dean shook his head. "No, I—it's hard to explain. Um. It's just that this—this is—it's just—it's not who I'm supposed to be."

There was a brief pause before Zachariah smiled.

Dean looked at the angel in confusion. "What?"

"Dean, Dean, Dean." Zachariah smiled. "Finally."

The angel stood up and pressed two fingers to Dean's forehead. The atmosphere changed instantly as Dean regained his memories.

Dean looked around wildly. "What the hell?" He looked down. "Why am I wearing a tie? My God, am I hungry."

Zachariah laughed. "Welcome back."

Dean stood up from the desk. "Wait. Did I—did I just get touched by—you're an angel, aren't you?"

"Zachariah," Amy replied, stepping up to the desk.

Zachariah nodded. "How did you know?"

"Not telling you," Amy stated.

Dean scoffed. "Oh, great. That's all I need is another one of you guys."

"I'm hardly another one, Dean," Zachariah informed him. "I'm Castiel's superior. Believe me, I had no interest in popping down here into one of these smelly things." He gestured down to his vessel. "But after the unfortunate situation with Uriel, I felt it necessary to pay a visit. Get my ducks in a row."

"I am not one of your ducks," Dean snapped.

"Starting with your attitude." Zachariah glanced over at Amy. "Both of yours."

Dean stared at the angel for a brief moment. "Oh, so, what?" he asked. "This was all some sort of a lesson? Is that what you're telling me? Wow. Very creative."

"You should see my decoupage," Zachariah said seriously.

Dean grimaced. "Gross. No thank you. So, what? I'm just hallucinating all this? Is that it?"

"Not at all." Zachariah turned and walked to the center of the room. "Real place, real haunting. Just plunked you in the middle without the benefit of your memories."

"Just to shake things up?" Dean asked. "Hm? So you guys can have fun watching us run around like ass clowns in monkey suits?"

"To prove to you that the path you're on is truly in your blood," Zachariah corrected. "You're a hunter. Not because your dad made you, not because God called you back from hell, but because it is what you are. And you love it. You'll find your way to it in the dark every single time and you're miserable without it. Dean, let's be real here. You're good at this. You'll be successful. You will stop it."

"Stop what? Dean asked. "The apocalypse, huh? Lucifer? What? Be specific, man."

"You'll do everything you're destined to do," Zachariah informed him. "All of it. But I know, I know. You're not strong enough." He cast another glance at Amy. "Neither of you are. You're scared. You got daddy issues. You can't do it. Right?"

Dean balled his fist. "Angel or not, I will stab you in your face," he warned.

"All I'm saying is it's how you look at it. Most folks live and die without moving anything more than the dirt it takes to bury them. You get to change things."

Dean scoffed and turned away as the angel continued on.

"Save people, maybe even the world. All the while you drive a classic car and fornicate with women. This isn't a curse. It's a gift." Zachariah's voice started to rise. "So for God's sake, Dean quit whining about it. Look around," Zachariah spun in place around the room, gesturing to everything around him, "there are plenty of fates worse than yours. So are you with me? You wanna go steam yourself another latte? Or are you ready to stand up and be who you really are?"

Dean spun back around, but the angel was already gone.

"You know," Amy spoke, "some of the angels in this show really are straight-up dicks." She turned to face Dean, who was still standing in the same spot. "Hey, uh, do you remember any of what I told you last night?"

Dean nodded. "It's fuzzy, but yeah. I remember enough."

Amy sighed. "I was afraid of that. Look, Dean, I'm sorry about all of that. I got my memories back and I guess I was just frustrated with everything going on. I was trying to get you to remember and I guess that meant doing anything to make that happen."

Dean walked up and pulled her into a hug. "I forgive you," he said. "And just so you know, you'll always be a part of this family. But, uh, how did you get your memories back?"

Amy shook her head. "Sorry Dean, but that's one thing I won't be telling you. No matter how many times you try to ask."

As Amy and Dean pulled away from the hug, the door burst open and Sam ran in.

"Guys?"

Dean smiled. "Hiya, Sammy."

"What the hell happened?" Sam asked.

"An angel, Zachariah, put us in a haunted building with fake memories."

"I am going to kill him," Dean promised as he threw off his jacket. "But first, I need to make sure my baby's alright."

Dean dashed out the door and down the hallway with Amy and Sam close behind. They hurried downstairs and out the main entrance.

Dean breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the Impala sitting where he had parked her. "Thank God." He pulled the keys from his pocket. "Let's get the hell out of this town."


	25. The Monster at the End of this Book

**April 2nd, 2009 - Chicago, Illinois**

A week later, Amy found herself in Illinois with Sam and Dean, investigating a possible ghost attack at a local comic book store. Dean parked the Impala in front of the store and Amy got out of the back seat.

As she stood on the sidewalk, Amy stared up at the store. There was something oddly familiar about a comic book store in the show, but what was it?

"Amy, you coming?" Dean's voice snapped her back to reality.

"Yeah, sorry." Amy hurried over, following Sam and Dean inside the store.

A man was sitting on a stool behind the counter, reading a comic when they entered. He looked up at the hunters as they walked up. "Uh... can I help you?"

"Sure hope so," Dean said as they pulled out their fake badges and showed them to the man. "Agents DeYoung, Shaw, and Young. We just need to ask you a few questions."

"Notice anything strange in the building, the last couple of days?" Sam asked.

"Like what?" the man asked warily.

Something caught Amy's eye further down the aisle. She wandered over to a black, bargain bin filled with books.

"Well, some other tenants reported flickering lights," Dean explained.

"Uh, I don't think so," the man said, sounding suspicious. "Why?"

"What about noises?" Sam asked. "Any skittering in the walls? Kind of like rats?"

"And the FBI is investigating a rodent problem?" the man asked.

"What about cold spots?" Sam continued. "Feel any sudden drops in temperature?"

Amy picked up one of the books from the bin, grinning at the exact same time as the man behind the counter when she read the title, 'Mystery Spot'.

"I knew it!" the man exclaimed. "You guys are LARPing, aren't you?"

Dean looked over at Amy in confusion. Seeing her knowing grin, he turned back to the man. "Excuse me?"

"You're fans," the man told the confused brothers.

"Fans of what?" Sam asked.

"What is 'LARPing'?" Dean added.

The man scoffed. "Like you don't know."

"It stands for Live-Action Role-Play," Amy informed them as she walked back over, still holding the book. "Don't ask how I know that."

The man nodded in confirmation. "And pretty hardcore, too," he praised.

Dean looked down at Amy. "You know something about this, don't you."

Amy showed Sam and Dean the cover of the book, repeatedly tapping the title. "Perhaps."

"You're asking questions like the building's haunted," the man continued. "Like those guys from the book that she's holding," the man pointed to Amy, "Supernatural. Two guys, use fake IDs with rock aliases, hunt down ghosts, demons, vampires. What are their names? Uh... Steve and Dirk? Uh, Sal and Dane?" the man trailed off.

"Sam and Dean?" Sam guessed.

"That's it!" the man agreed.

Dean took the book from Amy and started rifling through the pages. "You're saying this is a book?"

"Books," the man corrected. "It was a series. Didn't sell a lot of copies, though. Kind of had more of an underground cult following." The man stood up from the stool and walked over to the bin Amy had been at. Sam, Dean, and Amy followed. "Let's see. Um... Ah. Yeah," the man handed Dean one of the books, "that's the first one, I think."

Dean took the book from the man. "'Supernatural' by Carver Edlund," he read. He flipped the book over to the back. "Along a lonely California highway, a mysterious woman in white lures men to their deaths."

"That was the pilot episode," Amy muttered just loud enough for Sam and Dean to hear.

Sam snatched the book out of his brother's hands. "Give me that." he reread the back of the book before looking back at the man. "We're gonna need all the copies of "Supernatural" you've got."

"Well I'm afraid you're gonna have to buy them, then," the man informed them.

Dean groaned. "Fine."

The man hurried off to the back of the store.

"So there's a book series about our lives now, too?" Dean asked, turning to Amy.

Amy nodded. "Personally, I think the show is much better. Though, that might be coming off a bit biased since I haven't actually read any of the books."

"Should we try to find this Carver Edlund guy?" Sam asked, opening to the first page of the book.

"Guess so," Dean replied. "How are we supposed to find him, though?"

"I looked into the publisher and it turns out she lives in Old Roach, Michigan," Sam said. "We could try talking to them."

The man came back out with a bag filled with books. "I think this is all of them." He led the hunters over to the counter. Amy briefly heard Dean buy the books as she grabbed the book titled 'All Hell Breaks Loose' and flipped to the first page.

After Dean finished buying the books, Amy followed them back out to the Impala, nose still buried in the book. She climbed into the backseat as Dean placed the bag on the seat between him and Sam.

"Bedtime stories?" Dean asked, pulling out one of the books.

Amy looked up. "Oh, that episode was season three. I think it was not long after I met you guys. It was the one where that girl in a coma was causing all these fairy tales to come to life."

"The one where the girl's stepmother, or someone, poisoned her, right?" Dean asked, turning to face her.

Amy nodded. "I think so."

"What's that one?" Sam asked, pointing to the book she was holding.

Amy held up the book. "All Hell breaks loose. It was the season two finale, the one where Sam was kidnapped by a demon, and the episode that I met you guys in."

Dean tossed the book back into the bag. "Let's get these to the motel. I wanna see exactly what this guy knows."

* * *

Dean drove them down the street back to the motel. Sam grabbed his laptop and sat down at the table under the window while Amy and Dean dropped the books on one of the beds. She threw herself back onto the same bed, reopening the book she had been reading since the store.

"You know," she said, "I always wondered what a book series about this show would look like."

Dean reclined back in the bed next to her, grabbing the book titled 'Route 666.' "They didn't have any books from the show where you're from?"

Amy shook her head. "Well, I mean, they did have books. They just weren't like this where it was basically the entire episode typed out on paper. It was more like, someone wrote out a book as Bobby detailing a guide to hunting, uh, there was another one that was just the mythology of the show. I had both of those, by the way."

Sam scoffed. "Obsessed much?"

Amy put her book down and sat up. "Yes, actually, I was. I started watching this show when I was probably eight or nine and I loved every second of it. I was that person that waited around week after week, month after month, for a new episode each season. I watched and rewatched every episode until I knew it like the back of my hand. I had merch, I went to conventions. Hell, I even wrote fanfiction!"

Sam and Dean exchanged a glance.

"Fanfiction?" Dean asked.

Amy's eyes widened as she suddenly realized what she had revealed to Sam and Dean. She let out a heavy sigh. "Basically fictional stories that were written by fans featuring characters from a movie, tv-show, book series, video game, etcetera," she explained. "I started writing them when I was in high school."

Dean flipped through the pages of the book. "This is freaking' insane," he muttered. He turned to Amy. "How's this guy know all this stuff?"

' _He's God_ ,' Amy thought to herself.

"He has these dreams about you guys," she said out loud.

"Everything is in here," Dean continued. "I mean everything. From the racist truck to – to me having sex. I'm full-frontal in here, dude." He stood up and walked over to Sam. "How come we haven't heard of them before?"

"They're pretty obscure. I mean, almost zero circulation," Sam said. He started reading the screen on his laptop. "Uh, started in '05. The publisher put out a couple of dozen before going bankrupt. And, uh, the last one – "No Rest For The Wicked"-" Sam turned his laptop so Dean could see. On it was a list of published books by Chuck. "It ends with you-"

"-going to hell," Amy finished, walking over to them. "That was the season three finale. But the show went on for much longer after that."

Sam turned his laptop back to himself. "How much longer?"

"About eleven seasons with a twelfth underway. There were a lot of episodes." Amy beamed. "The two-hundredth episode was a musical!"

Dean gulped nervously. "And all of our hunts, the-they're in these episodes?"

Amy shook her head. "No, not all of them. There have been a few hunts I went on with you guys that weren't shown in the show at all. Back where I'm from, there was a week between episodes but the timeline could have had the actual dates between them be weeks or sometimes even months apart. Season three didn't have that many episodes and it spanned out a full year."

Dean took the laptop from Sam and started scrolling through the site. "Looks like there are actually fans of these books. There's not many of them, but still." He turned to Sam. "Did you read this?"

"Yeah."

Dean scoffed. "Although for fans, they sure do complain a lot," he muttered. "Listen to this – Simpatico says 'the demon storyline is trite, clichéd, and overall craptastic.' Yeah, well, screw you, Simpatico. We lived it."

Sam let out a nervous laugh. "Yeah. Well, keep on reading. It gets better."

"There are 'Sam girls' and 'Dean girls' and," Dean paused briefly, looking slightly confused, "what's a 'slash fan'?"

"As in... Sam-slash-Dean," Sam explained. His face twisted in discomfort. "Together."

"Like, together, together?" Dean asked, slightly disturbed.

"Yeah," Sam confirmed.

"They do know we're brothers, right?" Dean asked. He turned to Amy, who didn't look disturbed at all. "This doesn't bother you?"

Amy shrugged. "Nah. If anything I'm used to it. You should see the fanart."

"No, thank you," Dean grimaced. He shut the laptop and slid it back over to Sam. "We got to find this Carver Edlund."

"Yeah, that might not be so easy," Sam informed his brother.

Dea sighed. "Why not?"

"No tax records, no known address. Looks like "Carver Edlund" is a pen name."

Amy nodded. "It is. His real name is Chuck Shurley. I don't know where he lives though, so we might have to go to the publisher for that."

"Okay then." Sam reopened his laptop. "Publisher's house is only a five-hour drive from here."

Dean nodded. "Alright, well, grab your stuff." He grabbed the keys to the Impala. "Maybe she can tell us where Chuck lives."

Amy quickly grabbed her duffle bag as Sam put his laptop away. She followed Sam and Dean out to the Impala and tossed her bag in the trunk next to their bags, before climbing into the backseat. Dean pulled the Impala out of the parking lot, beginning their long drive to Michigan.

* * *

**Dearborn, Michigan**

Amy slept in the backseat until she was shaken awake by Dean when they arrived at the publisher's house.

"Sam told the publisher we were reporters," Dean explained as Amy slid out of the car.

Amy let out a long yawn. "Okay," she finally said. She followed Sam and Dean up the steps to the front door and waited as Dean rang the doorbell. A moment later, a young woman appeared. She had short, brown hair with dyed blonde bangs and a long, blue sweater on.

"Are you guys the reporters?" the woman asked.

Sam nodded. "Yes, we are. We spoke on the phone earlier about doing a story to hopefully bring the books back into the spotlight."

The publisher smiled. "Yes, I remember." she stood to the side, opening the door wider. "Come on in."

The hunters followed the publisher into the house. She led them into a living room, where they could see a shelf lined with a copy of each of the books and a poster of one of the covers above the fireplace.

"What would you like to know?" the publisher asked once they were inside.

"So you published the "Supernatural" books?" Sam began.

The publisher nodded. "Yep. Yeah. Gosh." She walked over to a shelf filled with copies of each of the books. "These books... you know, they never really got the attention they deserved. All anybody wants to read anymore is that romance crap. You know – 'Doctor Sexy, M.D.'?" the publisher chuckled. "Please."

Sam nodded. "Right. Well, we're hoping that our article can... shine a light on an underappreciated series."

The publisher nodded back. "Yeah, yeah, because, you know, if we got a little bit of good press then m-maybe we could start publishing again."

Dean shook his head "No, no, no, no. God, no. I mean, why – why would you want to do that?" At the publisher's frown, he added, "You know, it's, uh, such a complete series, what with Dean going to hell and all."

The publisher's face suddenly turned very emotional. "Oh, my god! That was one of my favorite ones because Dean was so... strong... and sad and brave," she said, her voice breaking in between words. "And Sam... I mean, the best parts are when they'd cry. You know, like in – In 'Heart,' when Sam had to kill Madison, the first woman since Jessica he really loved. And in 'Home,' when Dean had to call John and ask him for help."

The publisher sniffled and turned her back to them, walking further into the room. "Gosh... if only real men were so open and in touch with their feelings."

"Real men?" Dean asked, slightly offended.

The publisher turned back to face him. "I mean, no offense. How often do you cry like that, hmm?"

"More often then you think," Amy piped up.

"Right now, I'm crying on the inside," Dean added.

The publisher frowned at him. "Is that supposed to be funny?"

Dean smiled in amusement. "Lady, this whole thing is funny."

"How do I know you three are legit, hmm?" the publisher asked.

"Oh, trust me. We, uh... we're legit," Dean promised.

The publisher sat down in a big, red chair behind the desk. "Well, I don't want any smart-ass article making fun of my boys."

"No! No, no, no. Never," Sam stammered.

"As a matter of fact, we are actually big fans," Amy informed the woman.

Sam and Dean nodded in agreement.

"Hmm," the publisher nodded. From the look on her face, it was clear that she wasn't buying it. "You've read the books?"

"Cover to cover," Dean promised.

"Um-hmm," Sam agreed.

"Every word," Amy added.

The publisher leaned forward across the desk. "What's the year and model of the car?"

"It's a 1967 Chevy Impala," Dean answered smugly.

"What's May second?"

"That's my –" Sam quickly corrected himself, "Uh... that's Sam's birthday."

"January twenty-fourth is Dean's."

"And Amy's?"

"Real birthday or day she was found on the orphanage steps which was then used as her birthday?" Amy asked.

"The publisher smirked. "Both."

"July twenty-fourth,1998 is the day she was found on the steps, and..." Amy thought for a moment. When was she actually born again? She knew this. She had heard it once or twice before. "January...eighteenth...1989 was her actual day of birth," she finally said, hoping she was right.

That must have been the right answer because the publisher nodded in confirmation. "Sam's score on the LSAT?"

"One..." Sam trailed off, looking at Dean for help but only receiving a mere shrug, "seventy-four?"

"Dean's favorite song?"

Dean smiled. "It's a tie. Between Zep's 'Ramble On' and 'Traveling Riverside Blues.'."

The publisher seemed satisfied. "Okay. Okay. What do you want to know?"

"Where does Chuck live?" Sam asked bluntly

The publisher frowned. "How do you know his name?"

"We...uh, we did some research before we came here," Amy said quickly.

"Wanted to do as much research as possible before we did our story," Dean added. "Make sure we got all the facts."

"We just want to talk to him," Sam said. "You know, get the "Supernatural" story in his own words."

"He's very private," the publisher informed them. "It's like Salinger."

"Please. Like I said – we are, um..." Sam cringed as he unbuttoned his shirt, revealing his demon-protection tattoo. "... big... big fans."

At Sam's pointed look, Dean rolled his eyes and revealed his own tattoo. Amy pulled out her demon protection charm necklace.

The publisher licked her lips. "Awesome." she giggled. "You know what?" she turned around and pulled down her skirt. Amy averted her eyes towards the ceiling as the publisher showed Sam and Dean her own tattoo.

"I got one, too," she heard the publisher say.

"Whoa." Dean chuckled nervously. "You are a fan."

"Okay." the publisher said. Amy heard scribbling on a paper and looked back down to see the publisher writing something down. "Chuck is a genius, so don't piss him off."

The publisher handed Dean the paper. "Is there anything else I can help you with?"

Sam and Dean exchanged a glance. "Uh, no," Sam said, "thank you."

The publisher gave them a small smile and nodded. Amy followed Sam and Dean out of the house and back into the Impala.

"Looks like this guy lives in Kripke's Hollow, Ohio," Dean said, reading the paper the publisher had given him.

"Awesome!" Amy could barely contain her excitement as Dean started driving down the road.

Her excitement didn't go unnoticed by Dean. "I'm actually kinda liking how excited you seem to be about all of this," he said. "It's a little weird, but enjoyable at the same time."

"Hey, this was my favorite episode of this season, but honestly, it's probably closer to being my favorite episode of the entire series," Amy said with a smile. "I've been waiting for this since the day I met you two."

* * *

Dean drove them to the address given to him by the publisher. After a short, three hour drive, he pulled up in front of an old, run-down house. Dead leaves and trees lined a pathway and a motorcycle lay next to a small set of stairs that led up to the front door.

The hunters stopped outside of the door. Amy could almost hear Chuck reading line for line exactly what they were doing at that moment. Sam and Dean exchanged a glance and shrugged.

Dean reached out his hand and pushed the doorbell. A moment later, the door opened and a face Amy knew all too well poked out. He stared at them all for a moment in confusion, eyes landing on Amy for a bit longer, before going back up to Sam and Dean.

"You Chuck Shurley?" Dean asked.

"The Chuck Shurley who wrote the 'Supernatural' books?" Sam continued.

Chuck straightened up slightly. "Maybe. Why?"

"I'm Dean, this is Sam, and that's Amy. The Dean, Sam, and Amy you've been writing about."

Amy waved her hand. "Hi, there!"

Chuck slammed the door closed, leaving Amy standing there with her hand raised up. "Okay, good talk," she mumbled.

Dean rang the doorbell again and the door instantly reopened.

"Look, uh... I appreciate your enthusiasm," Chuck told them. "Really, I do. It's, uh, it's always nice to hear from the fans. But, uh, for your own good, I strongly suggest you get a life."

Amy had to stop herself from snickering as Chuck went to close the door again.

Dean put his hand out to stop the door from closing all the way. "See, here's the thing," he snapped. "We have a life. You've been using it to write your books." He shoved the door open and walked inside the house.

"Now, wait a minute. Now, this isn't funny," Chuck said as he backed up into the house. Sam and Amy walked inside after Dean.

"Damn straight, it's not funny," Dean agreed.

"Look, we just want to know how you're doing it," Sam said, a bit more calmly than Dean.

"I'm not doing anything," Chuck said nervously.

"Are you a hunter?" Dean demanded.

"This guy?" Amy asked, pointing to Chuck. "A hunter?"

"I'm a writer."

"Then how do you know so much about demons?" Dean started advancing on Chuck, causing him to fall backward onto the tattered couch. "And Tulpas, and changelings?"

"Is this some kind of 'Misery' thing?" Chuck asked, voice trembling in fear. "Ah, it is, isn't it? It's a 'Misery' thing!"

"No, it's not a 'Misery' thing." Dean waved his finger between Sam and himself. "Believe me, we are not fans!" He pointed to Amy. "She actually is, but that's not the point right now!"

"Well, then, what do you want?!" Chuck shouted.

Sam stepped forward, speaking a lot more calmly than his brother. "I'm Sam. And that's Dean."

"Sam and Dean are fictional characters," Chuck insisted. "I made them up! They're not real!"

"Just out of curiosity," Amy spoke up, "did you ever write the last names in the books?"

Chuck looked at her in confusion. "I thought you were a fan."

"I'm a fan of the show," Amy explained, "I only read a couple of books earlier today."

"There's no such thing as the 'Supernatural' TV show!"

"Tell that to the several episodes I watched at the orphanage," Amy said. "Before I even met the Winchesters."

Chuck stared at her in shock. "Di-did you say 'Winchester'?"

"Well, unless their last name suddenly changed, I'm pretty sure that's still it, right?"

Chuck nodded. "Yeah, but, I never wrote the last names in the books. I never even wrote it down or told anyone."

Dean seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. "Well, hi, nice to meet you. I'm Dean Winchester and this is my brother, Sam."

Amy waved her hand again. "And I'm Amelia Jones. Though, I usually just go by Amy."

Chuck stood up from the couch without a word. He turned his back to them and walked to the kitchen, opening a cabinet and pulling out a bottle of whiskey.

The hunters walked over to the kitchen in confusion. Amy sat down on the back of the couch as Chuck poured himself a large glass and downed it in one sip, before setting the glass back down on the sink and turning back around.

"Oh! Oh, you're still there," he groaned.

Dean nodded. "Yup."

"You're not a hallucination."

"Not since I checked," Amy said.

"Well, there's only one explanation," Chuck said seriously. "Obviously I'm a god."

Amy put a hand over her mouth to suppress her laughter, receiving strange looks from Sam and Dean in the process.

"You're not a god," Sam told Chuck.

"How else do you explain it?" Chuck asked. "I write things and then they come to life." He nodded his head furiously. "Yeah, no, I'm definitely a god. A cruel, cruel, capricious god. The things I put you through – The physical beatings alone."

"Yeah, we're still in one piece," Dean stated.

Chuck continued rambling on. "I killed your father. I burned your mother alive." He looked up at Sam. "And then you had to go through the whole horrific deal again with Jessica. And you," he pointed to Amy, "I made you an orphan and sent you to another world."

"Yeah, well, now I'm back," Amy told him, "and I've got a new family."

"Chuck-"

Chuck cut Sam off. "All for what? All for the sake of literary symmetry. I toyed with your lives, your emotions, for... entertainment."

"You didn't toy with us, Chuck, okay? You didn't create us," Dean assured the man.

' _You sure about that?'_ Amy thought, smirking to herself. Chuck flashed her a look before looking back up at Sam and Dean.

"Did you really have to live through the bugs?"

"Yeah."

"I'm glad I didn't," Amy spoke. "Man, I hated that episode."

"What about the ghost ship?"

Dean nodded. "Yes, that too."

Chuck sighed. "I am so sorry. I mean, horror is one thing, but to be forced to live bad writing... if I would have known it was real, I would have done another pass."

"Chuck, you're not a god!" Dean snapped.

"We think you're probably just psychic," Sam continued.

Chuck shook his head. "No. If I were psychic, you think I'd be writing?" He sighed. "Writing is hard."

Amy nodded in agreement.

"It seems that somehow, you're just... focused on our lives," Sam explained.

"Yeah, like laser-focused," Dean added. "Are you working on anything right now?"

Chuck suddenly seemed to realize something. "Holy crap."

"What?"

Chuck picked up a stack of papers. "The, uh, latest book? It's, uh, it's kind of weird."

"Weird how?" Dean asked.

"It's very Vonnegut," Chuck explained.

"'Slaughterhouse-Five' Vonnegut or 'Cat's Cradle' Vonnegut?" Dean asked intently.

"What?" Sam asked in shock.

"What?" Dean asked defensively.

"It's, uh, 'Kilgore Trout' Vonnegut," Chuck corrected. "I wrote myself into it. I wrote myself, at my house... confronted by my characters."

Amy leaned towards Sam. "What are they talking about?"

"Vonnegut is an author," Sam explained quickly. He pointed to the papers Chuck was holding. "Do you mind if we take those with us?"

Chuck handed the papers over. "Here, take them. And now, if you could please leave so I can drown myself in a bottle of whiskey, that would be great."

Dean took the pages. "Yeah, alright we'll get out of here." He pulled out a piece of paper, and started writing something down, "but, uh, just in case, here's my cell. We'll find a motel nearby. If anything happens, just give me a call and we'll be right over."

Chuck nodded. "Okay. Okay, yeah."

Sam and Dean began walking to the door. Amy hesitated slightly, turning back to the man she knew the true identity of, before following Sam and Dean outside. Right now, she had a million and one questions she needed answers to, but she knew now wasn't the time.

As Amy was opening the front door, she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned around to see Chuck standing behind her, looking less than the timid man they had just been talking to.

"Alright, listen," he told her, "I know you have a lot of questions and I'm willing to answer them, but not now."

Amy nodded. "Yeah, I kinda figured now wasn't the best time."

"Right." Chuck nodded. "Listen, I know you know who I am. I'd really appreciate it if you didn't-"

"Mention anything to Sam and Dean?" Amy finished Chuck's sentence. At his nod, she said, "Don't worry. I haven't told them about Gabe and I won't tell them about you. I'm good at keeping secrets."

Chuck smiled. "I knew there was a reason I liked you."

Dean honked the horn impatiently.

Amy rolled her eyes and sighed in frustration. "I should probably get going. Before Dean decides to leave me behind."

Chuck nodded. "Right. I'll come to your motel room when Sam and Dean leave for a bit, and then feel free to ask whatever you wanna know."

Amy nodded back. "Okay." She started walking out of the house. "See ya later, Chuck."

Amy ran back to the Impala, sliding into the backseat.

"What was that all about?" Dean asked.

Amy shook her head. "Nothing."

Sam and Dean exchanged a glance before shrugging simultaneously. Dean pulled the Impala away from the curb and started driving down the road to find them a motel.

* * *

Dean eventually pulled into the parking lot of a nearby motel, which ended up being just down the street from Chuck's house. Amy helped Dean unload the bags from the trunk while Sam checked them into a room.

"Okay," Dean began once Sam had disappeared inside the building, "what the hell was that all about?"

Amy glanced up at Dean in confusion. "What was what all about?"

"Back at Chuck's place," Dean explained, "why'd you take so long to come out?"

"Oh," Amy said, finally understanding, "Chuck and I were just talking. About the books."

"Uh-huh." Dean nodded but Amy wasn't sure if he believed her or not.

Sam came back out and walked over to them. He handed the key to Dean. "We're on the second floor," he explained.

"Alright," Dean said, picking up his bag. He led the way up to the motel room and unlocked the door, leading them inside.

Amy tossed her duffle bag on the furthest bed, before throwing herself onto it as well. "Well, I'm tired."

Sam laughed. "Yeah, I think I might turn in early to- aw crap!"

Amy sat up at the outburst. "What's up?"

Sam picked up one of his shirts, which was dripping with something. He sniffed it, before immediately scrunching up his face in disgust. "Dean, did you put the lighter fluid in my duffle bag?"

Dean nodded as he walked over next to his brother. "Yeah. I forgot to put it in the other bag and yours was there so I just tossed it in. Why? What's-" Dean suddenly stopped as he got closer. "Oh, god, what is that smell?"

Sam tossed his clothes back into the bag. "The lighter fluid," he said angrily. "It spilled out all over my clothes."

"Oh," Dean said, sheepishly. "Well, hey, I saw a laundromat across the street. I've got some extra change if you wanna go try and wash it out."

Sam sighed. "Yeah, okay. Amy, you have anything that needs to be washed?"

Amy shook her head. "I'm good. I'm probably just gonna head to bed early while you guys are gone."

"Alright." Dean grabbed the keys. "Call us if you need anything. We'll be back in a bit."

* * *

As soon as Sam and Dean left, Amy grabbed the TV remote. She lay on her back with her head hanging over the end of the bed, so she was looking at the TV upside down. As she went to turn the television on, someone suddenly appeared in front of her.

"What the-" Amy flipped over onto her stomach to see the same man they had recently gone to visit standing in front of her. "Dude, what the hell?"

"Hey, I said I would come to your motel room when Sam and Dean left," Chuck said defensively.

"Yeah, but I didn't know you meant in twenty minutes." Amy sat up on the bed. "So, what's up?"

"Well, I figured, since you know who I really am, and you've had a ton of questions racing through your mind since you met Sam and Dean, I would do you a favor and answer as many of them as I could."

Amy averted her eyes to the ground. "Yeah. Right. Well, see the thing is, I've been waiting for this episode to come along since I met Sam and Dean. And now that it's actually here," she looked back up, "I have absolutely no idea what I wanna ask."

Chuck leaned back against the wall. "That's understandable. You've been through a lot since you met Sam and Dean, I know it can be overwhelming."

Amy let out a small laugh. "Yeah, it really is." She took a deep breath. "Okay, there is one thing I've been dying to know for a while now."

Chuck nodded knowingly. "Your parents."

Amy nodded. "What the hell, dude?" she snapped. "So, they get killed by a demon and then I end up in another world. Was that you, by the way, or...?"

"Yeah, that was me."

"Why?" Amy asked. "I spent my entire childhood wondering why my parents had abandoned me and then I wake up here, with absolutely no clue as to what's going on by the way. I mean, you know, a little help would have been nice." She stood up, voice now rising in anger. "I was terrified, Chuck! I had no idea why I had suddenly woken up in an episode of a show I loved, and even now, I still don't. Not really, anyways."

"I sent you to that other world to keep you safe," Chuck explained.

"Safe? Safe from what?" Amy asked.

"That demon that killed your parents, it was after you specifically. They just got in its way."

"Wait, what?" Amy asked, now even more confused. "Why was it after me?"

Chuck sighed as he stepped closer to her. "Amy, those powers you have, you didn't get them when I sent you to that other world. You were born with them."

The motel room and everything in it seemed to fade away as Amy took in what she had just heard. "What?" she asked softly.

"You were born with those powers," Chuck repeated. "The demon that killed your parents, he knew about your powers and thought that he could raise you and use your powers his own way. I couldn't let that happen, so I sent you somewhere the demon could never find you."

"To a place with no monsters, ghosts, demons," Amy realized. "Wait, so, what about when they suddenly just stopped working or whatever?"

"I kept an eye on you in that world, as you grew up, so I could bring you back here when the time was right," Chuck explained. "As you got older, your powers started getting stronger and it was getting harder for you to control them. A simple sneeze made every light in a room explode. So I put a hold on them for a while. And then, when the time was right, I brought you back here and took the hold off."

Amy raised an eyebrow. "And the episode you decided to bring me to was the one where Sam got kidnapped by a demon and later killed?"

Chuck rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, sorry about that. But I didn't want you to meet them too early or too late in the series. I wanted you to have enough time to get them to trust you and consider you part of the family."

Amy nodded but didn't say anything.

"I'm sorry I didn't come to you sooner," Chuck told her. "But this was one of those things I couldn't interfere with."

"So, what about the show that I spent years watching?" Amy asked.

"I might have had something to do with that," Chuck admitted. "Gave you a bit of a push towards watching it."

Amy smiled. "Well, I'm glad you did," she admitted. "I've met a lot of great people through the show." She suddenly let out a long yawn, remembering why she had decided to stay behind in the first place.

"I'll let you get some sleep," Chuck said. "I'll call Dean tomorrow and tell him I wrote another chapter. You, get some sleep. Oh, and I would appreciate it if you didn't tell them who I was," he added, "I'll tell them when the time is right."

"I already said I wouldn't," Amy reminded him. She yawned again. "See you tomorrow, I guess."

Chuck nodded and, a second later, vanished before her eyes.

' _Yeah, that's gonna take some getting used to,_ ' Amy thought to herself.

Not even bothering to change out of her clothes, Amy lay her head down on the pillow, finally drifting off to sleep.

* * *

**April 3rd, 2009 - Kripke's Hollow, Ohio**

The next morning, Dean shook Amy awake.

"Hey, get up," he told her, "Chuck called, said he wrote another chapter. We're heading over there right now."

Amy sat up and stretched her arms. "Okay," she said sleepily, "just let me change, first, and then we can head over."

Dean nodded. "Alright, well, hurry up, because we're leaving soon."

* * *

Amy quickly changed into a different shirt that hadn't been slept in and followed the Winchesters out to the car.

Dean drove them down the street to Chuck's house. Chuck let them in and led the hunters to the living room. They waited in the living room as Chuck left to get the writing he had just done.

Sam was leaning against the fireplace when Chuck entered the room, holding a stack of papers. "So...," he began, breaking the silence, "you wrote another chapter?"

"This was all so much easier before you were real," Chuck told him.

"We can take it; just spit it out," Dean urged.

Chuck turned to Dean. "You especially are not gonna like this."

"I didn't like hell," Dean stated bluntly.

Chuck looked at Dean, almost apologetically, before turning back to the papers. "It's Lilith," he informed them. "She's coming for Sam."

Amy leaned forward from her spot on the couch. "Wait, what?"

"Coming to kill him?" Dean asked.

"When?" Sam asked.

"Tonight."

"She's just gonna show up?" Dean asked. "Here?"

Chuck sat down on the couch next to Amy and put on a pair of reading glasses. "Uh... let's see, uh," he began reading from the page, "Lilith patted the bed seductively. Unable to deny his desire, Sam succumbed, and they sank into the throes of fiery demonic passion."

Amy couldn't help herself as she burst into laughter. "That is, by far, the greatest thing I've ever heard," she said in between laughs.

Sam laughed as well. "You're kidding me, right?"

Dean glared at the two of them. "You two think this is funny?"

"Lilith coming for Sam? No," Amy said. She pointed to the papers Chuck was holding. "But what's written on that paper? Yes, absolutely."

"I mean, come on, Dean," Sam said. "'Fiery demonic passion'?"

"It's just a first draft," Chuck told them sheepishly.

"Wait, wait, wait, wait," Dean said as he stood up from the chair. "Lilith is a little girl."

"No, uh, this time she's a comely dental hygienist from Bloomington, Indiana," Chuck corrected.

"Great. Perfect," Dean said. He turned to Chuck. "So what happens after the... fiery demonic whatever?"

"I don't know, it hasn't come to me yet."

"Dean, look, there's nothing to worry about," Sam assured his brother. "Lilith and me? In bed?"

Dean sat on the arm of the couch and glared at his brother as he spoke to Chuck. "How does this whole psychic thing of yours work?"

"You mean my process?" Chuck asked.

"Yes, your 'process'."

"Well, it usually starts with a headache," Chuck began. "A really bad headache. Aspirin is useless, so... I drink. Until I fall asleep. The first time it happened, I thought it was just a crazy dream."

"The first time you dreamt about us?" Dean asked.

Chuck nodded. "It flowed. It just kept flowing. It still does. I-I can't stop it, really."

"You can't seriously believe –"

Dean cut his brother off. "Humor me." He stood back up. "Look, why don't we, we just..."

Dean was interrupted as Chuck sighed and held the manuscript up to him. "Take a look at these and see what's what," he said slowly as he took the papers. "You –

"...knew you were gonna ask for that," Chuck finished. "Yeah."

"Great," Dean muttered. He stood up and walked towards the door.

"See ya," Sam said before quickly following his brother.

Amy stood up from the couch. "This is going to be so entertaining," she said with a grin.

Chuck stood up as well. "You're gonna have a field day with this, aren't you?"

Amy smiled. "Definitely." She started walking towards the door. "See you later, Chuck."

Chuck gave her a wave as she ran out the door and climbed into the Impala.

"So, what are we doing now?" she asked.

Dean pulled the Impala away from the house. "We're getting out of town."

Amy leaned forward across the front seat. "Wait, what?"

"If we get out of town, then maybe Lilith won't be able to come kill Sam."

"Do you really think that's gonna work?" Amy asked.

Dean shook his head. "No, but I'm willing to try."

* * *

As Dean sped down the road, Sam read the manuscript Chuck had given them.

"Dean, come on." Sam started reading from the page. "The minivan accident wasn't that bad, but Dean was still seeing stars. He scratched absently at the pink flower Band-Aids on his face."

"A pink flower Band-Aid?" Amy asked, almost wondering if it was a joke.

"So?" Dean asked.

Sam scoffed. "So, I've seen you gushing blood," he said. "You'd use duct tape and bar rags before you'd put on a pink flower Band-Aid."

"What's your point?"

"My point is this-" Sam gestured to the papers, "-all of this – is totally implausible, it's nuts."

"He's been right about everything so far," Dean reminded them. "You think he's just gonna ground out at first now?"

"Yeah, but you with a pink flower anything?" Amy asked. "Let alone a band-aid?"

Sam scoffed and continued reading. "Dean slid behind the wheel of his beloved Impala and drove off with Amy in the passenger seat, the plastic tarp on the rear window flapping like the wings of a crow."

Dean looked concerned. "A tarp?"

Sam nodded. "Yeah. On the rear window. And you drive it like that."

Dean frowned. "Well, he might be wrong about the details, but that doesn't mean he's wrong about the end result."

"So we're just gonna run?" Sam asked.

"Dude, we are a long way from ready for a face-to-face deathmatch with Lilith," Dean snapped.

Dean slowed the Impala down as two police cars blocking the road came into view. A deputy waved at them to stop, before leaning into the driver's side window to talk to Dean.

"What seems to be the problem?"

"Bridge is out ahead," the deputy explained.

"We're just trying to get out of town," Dean tried.

"Yeah, afraid not."

"Is there a detour?"

The deputy shook his head. "Nope."

"There's not a side road that takes us to the highway?"

"To get to the highway, you have to cross that river," the deputy said. "To cross the river, you have to take that bridge."

Dean was starting to get desperate. "How deep is the river?"

The deputy sighed. "Sorry. Afraid you three are gonna have to spend the night in town."

Dean sighed, finally realizing there was no way out of this. He backed the Impala up and turned around, driving back towards the town.

* * *

Later that night, Amy found herself sitting at a table in a diner with Sam and Dean. Dean was reading the manuscript as Sam and Amy read over menus for something to eat.

"Hey, this could be a good thing," Dean said. "I mean, if this is what puts us on the path to Lilith, then all we got to do is get off the path."

Sam put down his menu. "How do you mean?"

"It's a blueprint of what not to do," Dean explained. "I mean if the pages say that we go left –"

"Then we go right," Sam finished.

Amy put down her menu as well. "Do you really think that'll work?"

Dean put the manuscript on the table. "I honestly don't know," he admitted, "but at this point, I'm willing to try anything. I mean, if we get off-book, then maybe we never make it to the end. It's opposite day. It says that we, uh, we get into a fight. So, no fighting." He gestured to Sam. "No research for you."

"No bacon cheeseburger for you," Sam added.

Dean frowned. "Yeah, no problem. I'll just order something else." He turned to the approaching waitress. "Hi, uh, what's good?"

"Well, if you like burgers, Oprah's girlfriend said we have the best bacon cheeseburgers in the country," the waitress said with a smile.

Sam laughed as Dean shifted nervously in his seat.

"Really?" Dean asked.

"I'll just have the cobb salad, please," Sam ordered.

"I'll have the... veggie tofu burger," Dean said, trying not to grimace. He handed his menu to the waitress. "Thanks."

The waitress turned to Amy. "And, for you, dear?"

"I'll have a cheeseburger." Amy handed her menu to the waitress as well.

"I'll have those out in a jiff." The waitress turned and walked back into the kitchen.

Dean took a look at the manuscript. "Dude!"

"What?" Sam asked.

Dean slapped the back of his hand across the papers. "This says she orders a cheeseburger."

"Oh no," Amy said sarcastically, "I ordered a cheeseburger. We're doomed!"

"Amy, this is serious!" Dean shouted.

"Dean, we're not gonna die just because I order a burger."

"She's right, Dean. This whole thing's ridiculous."

"Lilith is ridiculous?" Dean asked.

"The idea of me hooking up with her is."

Dean scoffed. "Right. 'Cause something like that can never happen."

Sam started to scowl but stopped himself. "Dean, for the first time, we have a warning that Lilith is close."

"So?" Dean asked, starting to get angry. "We can't kill Lilith but that doesn't mean she can't kill us."

The waitress walked back over with their food. "Cobb salad for you, tofu veggie burger for you, and a cheeseburger for you," she said as she put their meals in front of them.

"Thank you." Dean picked up his burger and took a huge bite. His eyes widened in surprise. "Oh, my god. This is delicious. Tofu is amazing!"

The waitress appeared again, carrying another plate. She seemed flustered. "I am so sorry. I gave you the bacon cheeseburger by mistake." She took the plate away from a despaired Dean, before handing him the new plate.

Amy sighed as she pushed her plate towards Dean, who looked at her gratefully as he took a bite of her cheeseburger.

* * *

After they ate, Dean drove them around, looking for a different motel.

"Why can't we just go to the one we stayed at last night?" Amy asked.

"Because we can't risk Lilith coming for us there," Dean explained. He pulled into the parking lot of the Toreador motel.

"Dude, this place charges by the hour," Sam said, reading the sign next to the entrance.

"Yeah, well, the book says Lilith finds you at the Red Motel," Dean reminded him. "Hence, the uh, hooker inn." He parked the Impala and turned off the engine. "It's opposite day, remember?"

Amy helped Sam and Dean carry their bags into the motel room. Dean tossed his bag onto the bed and started pulling items out of it, before finally pulling out a few hex bags. He tossed one over to Amy as she placed her bag on the other bed.

"Put this in the corner, over there," he instructed. Amy quickly placed the hex-bag against the corner of the wall, next to the nightstand.

"What are you doing?" Sam asked as Dean placed another hex bag on the table between the beds.

"A couple of hex bags ought to Lilith-proof the room," Dean explained.

Sam glared at his brother. "So, what? I'm supposed to just hole up here all night?"

"That's exactly what you're gonna do, okay?" Dean confirmed. "And no research. I don't care what you do – use the Magic Fingers or watch Casa Erotica on Pay-Per-View." He spotted Sam's bag on the table. Grinning with delight, he reached in and pulled out the laptop.

"Oh, dude, come on," Sam protested.

"Just call it a little insurance." Dean started walking towards the door.

"What are you gonna do?"

"Well, the pages say that I spend all day riding around in the Impala," Dean explained, "so I'm gonna go park her. Behave yourself, would you? No homework. Watch some porn." He smiled as he opened the door.

Amy started to follow, but Dean stopped her.

"Dean, I'm not staying here," she started to argue.

"The pages say the two of us drive around in the Impala," Dean reminded her, "so, yeah, you're staying here."

Without giving Amy any time to argue, Dean turned and walked out of the room.

Amy groaned as she watched the door close behind Dean.

"Great," she muttered. "Now what?"

Sam turned around to face her. A glare was plastered on his face from watching his brother leave.

Amy got the hint. "I'll be outside if you need me." She walked past Sam and headed outside. She leaned against the wall next to the door, watching as Dean drove the Impala to the lot across the street. As he got out of the Impala and began walking back to the motel, a couple of teenage boys suddenly ran up and broke the rear-view window with bats.

Dean spun around, quickly walking back across the street to stop the teenagers as one of them tried to climb into the car through the broken window. Before Amy could warn him, a minivan suddenly sped around the corner. She winced as she watched it drive straight into Dean. He landed on the hood, rolling off as the car screeched to a halt.

"Dean!" Amy shouted in a panic. She ran through the parking lot, passing Chuck as he parked the motorcycle that had been sitting in front of the house.

Amy sprinted across the street, sliding to a stop on her knees next to Dean. A woman and her daughter had climbed out of the van and were kneeling down next to Dean as well. The little girl was putting pink flower Band-Aids on Dean's face.

"Dean?"

"I'm so sorry," the woman apologized. "I didn't see him."

"It's okay." Amy gently shook Dean. "Dean? Hey, you okay."

Dean slowly began to stir. "Stars?" he mumbled.

The woman looked confused. "What?"

Dean slowly sat up.

"I'm so sorry," the woman apologized again. "Like I told your friend here, I just didn't see you. Are you okay?"

Amy helped Dean sit up the rest of the way.

"And sorry about... you know." The woman pointed to the Band-Aids on Dean's face. She put a hand on her daughter's shoulder. "M-My daughter's going through a doctor phase."

"What are you talking about?" Dean asked weakly.

"You're all better now," the young girl said happily.

Amy pulled off one of the Band-Aids, showing it to Dean. Dean frowned as he reached up and pulled another one off. He looked across the street, where the Impala was parked.

"Oh, no..." Dean trailed off as he stood up and walked towards the car to examine the damage. The rear window was completely shattered. Shards of glass lay on the trunk and around the back tires.

"Damn it!" Dean swore. "Come on, Amy, help me check to see if they took anything."

Amy and Dean searched through the car, finally confirming that nothing had been taken.

"Come on, get in," Dean told her.

"Where are we going?"

"I'd like to have a few words with our new pal, Chuck," Dean said angrily. He pulled a tarp out of the trunk, duct taping it over the window.

Amy slid into the passenger seat next to Dean. Dean sped out of the parking lot and drove towards Chuck's house, the tarp flapping like the wings of a crow.

* * *

When they arrived at Chuck's house, Dean picked the lock and led Amy inside, locking the door back up behind them. The house was empty, but Amy figured Chuck was still at the motel with Sam.

They waited in the living room for almost an hour before they heard the door open and footsteps walk through the hallway. A moment later, Chuck walked around the corner, holding a brown paper bag and a six-pack of beer cans.

"Dean," he said, obviously not very surprised to find the hunters in his living room, "Amy."

Amy gave Chuck a small wave from the couch. "'Sup."

"I take it you knew I'd be here," Dean said, noticing the tone in Chuck's voice.

"You look terrible," Chuck stated.

"That's 'cause I just got hit by a minivan, Chuck," Dean said with an almost too calm tone in his voice.

"Oh."

Dean looked at the writer, waiting for him to say anything else. "That it? Every damn thing you write about me comes true; that's all you have to say is 'oh'?!"

Chuck started to put the cans on the desk next to him. "Please don't yell at me."

Dean slowly rose from the chair. "Why do I get the feeling there's something that you're not telling us?"

Chuck laughed nervously. "What wouldn't I be telling you?" He glanced back at Amy, who shrugged, before smirking behind Dean.

"How you know what you know, for starters!" Dean snapped.

"I don't know how I know," Chuck insisted, "I just do!"

"That's not good enough." Dean suddenly shoved Chuck against the wall. "How the hell are you doing this?!"

"Dean, come on," Amy shouted in exasperation as she tried to pull Dean away from Chuck.

"Dean, let him go!" the voice of Castiel suddenly said behind the two hunters. Dean reluctantly released Chuck, turning to face the angel. "This man is to be protected."

"Why?"

"He's a Prophet of the Lord," Cas stated.

"You... You're Castiel... aren't you?" Chuck stammered.

"It's an honor to meet you, Chuck." Cas picked up one of the books and started flipping through it. "I... admire your work."

"Whoa, whoa, what?" Dean pointed to Chuck "This guy, a prophet? Come on, he's – he's... he's practically a Penthouse Forum writer." He turned to Chuck. "Did you know about this?"

Chuck stumbled over to the armchair and pulled a bottle of whiskey from the brown bag he had brought in earlier, pouring himself a glass. "I, uh, I might have dreamt about it," he admitted.

"And you didn't tell us?!" Dean snapped. He turned to Amy. "Is it safe to assume you knew about this too?"

Amy nodded sheepishly. "Yeah," she admitted as well, "I did."

"It was too preposterous," Chuck started rambling. "Not to mention arrogant. I mean, writing yourself into the story is one thing, but as a prophet? That's like M. Night-level douchiness." He desperately gulped down the glass of whiskey.

Dean leaned towards Castiel, speaking quietly. "This is the guy who decides our fate?"

"He isn't deciding anything," Castiel corrected. "He's a mouthpiece – a conduit for the inspired word."

"The word? The word of god? What, like the new new testament?" Dean asked.

"One day, these books – they'll be known as the Winchester gospel," Cas explained.

"You gotta be kidding me," Dean and Chuck said in unison.

"Seriously?" Amy added.

"I am not... kidding you," Cas said.

"If you'd both please excuse me one minute," Chuck said. He stood up from the chair, still holding the bottle of whiskey and walked upstairs, disappearing into one of the rooms.

Dean pointed up the stairs after Chuck. "Him? Really?"

"You should've seen Luke," Cas stated.

"Why'd he get tapped?"

"I don't know how prophets are chosen," Cas admitted. Dean scoffed and turned away. "The order comes from high up on the celestial chain of command."

Dean paused for a moment, before turning back to the angel. "How high?"

"Very."

"Well, whatever. How do we get around this?"

Cas looked confused. "Around what?"

"The Sam-Lilith love connection," Dean said. "How do we stop it from happening?"

"What the prophet has written can't be unwritten," Castiel explained. "As he has seen it, so it shall come to pass."

"Oh, wonderful," Amy said sarcastically.

"Well, this is just..." Dean trailed off. He walked towards the door and Amy began to follow. Dean quickly stopped her. "Why don't you wait here?" he suggested.

"Wait, what?" Amy asked.

"I'm gonna go get Sam really quick," Dean explained. "I won't be gone long, but why don't you just wait here for now until I get back."

Amy let out a heavy sigh as she crossed her arms. "Fine," she agreed reluctantly.

Dean nodded and walked out the front door, leaving Amy standing alone in the living room.

"Did he just leave you here?" Chuck asked from behind Amy, causing her to jump a little.

She turned around. "Do you really have to ask that?"

"No, I guess not," Chuck admitted. He walked into the kitchen. "Well, it'll be a few hours before Dean gets back. Want something to eat while you're here?"

Amy shrugged. "Sure." She walked over to the kitchen as well, sitting down on one of the barstools.

"Pizza?" Chuck asked. "Any kind you want."

Amy lit up. "Oh, hell yes!" She thought for a moment. "Hawaiian?" she finally decided.

A plate with two slices of Hawaiian pizza appeared in front of her. Amy picked up a slice and took a bite.

"Hmm." She set the slice back down. "Yeah, no."

"What?" Chuck asked. "Don't like it?"

"No, that's not what I was talking about," Amy clarified. "I just decided that I probably wasn't gonna get used to stuff like that."

"Gabriel does this stuff around you all the time, though," Chuck pointed out.

"Not really all the time," Amy corrected. "He's done it maybe once or twice. Besides, I don't actually see him all that much."

Chuck leaned against the counter. "True. So, anything else you'd like to know."

Amy sighed. "Honestly, yes, of course, there is," she said. "There's a ton of things that I've been dying to know since I bet Sam and Dean, but now that I actually have a chance to ask you, I can't think of anything." She shook her head. "I don't know. I guess I'm still trying to work my head around what you told me last night."

Chuck nodded. "About your powers."

"Yeah." Amy took another bite of her pizza.

"I suppose that was a lot to drop on you last night?"

Amy scoffed. "Gee, you think? Oh, hey, uh, BTW, you were born with your powers and your parents died trying to save you. Okay, bye now!"

Chuck laughed as he cracked open a can of beer and took a sip.

* * *

They spent the next couple of hours talking about the show and the books. Amy didn't even notice the time pass by as the sun started to go down outside.

"Well I needed to keep an eye on you somehow," Chuck was telling her.

"I know," Amy said. "But what, a-are you saying you're Rob Benedict?"

Chuck shook his head. "No, Rob is a very real person. And he is an actual actor that portrays me on the show. I only took over for a bit at the cons you went to."

Amy's eyes went wide as she realized what that meant. "So...those autographs and photo ops I did with Rob. And the Louden Swain concerts I went to?"

Chuck gave her a small wave. "That was me." He suddenly grabbed the empty plate and moved it away, replacing it with a pillow as Amy's head fell forward onto the counter.

Amy groaned. "What...the...hell?" She raised her head again. "Seriously? Here I am thinking Rob doesn't know I even exist and now I'm over here learning that all those times I met the guy, it was freaking God? Are you kidding me, right now?"

Chuck was standing there, trying not to laugh. "I wondered how you would react to that."

"Hmm? What do you mean?"

"I made it all up," Chuck admitted. "Rob Benedict is a very real person, even at the cons you went to."

Amy flopped her head back down on the pillow. "Oh, thank God," she mumbled.

"You're welcome."

Amy slowly picked her head back up, realizing what she had said. "I walked right into that one, didn't I?"

Chuck nodded. "Yep."

Amy rolled her eyes. She glanced at the time on the oven. "When is Dean getting back?"

"About two minutes. Right now, Castiel is telling Dean why he can't help, while also hinting what would happen if a demon and a prophet were in the same room."

Amy smiled. "Yeah, that sounds like something Cas would do."

Chuck nodded in agreement. He stretched his arms. "Well, it looks like it's back to being Chuck the scared prophet." He walked over to the couch and sat down, wrapping himself up in a blanket and putting on a pair of reading glasses.

Amy laughed as she slid down from the barstool. "Cozy?"

Chuck nodded as he poured himself a glass of whiskey. "Very. And, Dean arrives in three...two..."

At that moment, the door swung open and Dean ran in. He went straight to Chuck, pulling him to his feet.

Chuck put on a look of shock and fear. "What are you doing? I didn't write this."

"Come on. I need you to come with me," Dean said, pulling Chuck towards the door.

"Dean?" Amy asked. "What's going on? Where's Sam?"

"He's waiting for us at the motel. We gotta go to him, and you're," Dean jabbed a finger at Chuck, "coming with."

"That's where Lilith is."

Dean nodded. "Yeah, exactly. I need you to stop her."

"Are you insane?" Chuck asked, yanking his arm out of Dean's grasp. "Lilith? I know what she's capable of, Dean. I wrote her."

Dean started gaining up on Chuck, who backed away. "All right, listen to me," he said. "You have an archangel tethered to you, okay? All you gotta do is show up and boom! Lilith gets smoked."

"But I-I haven't seen that yet," Chuck stammered. "Th-the story –"

"Chuck, you're the only shot that I've got left," Dean cried out desperately.

"But... I'm just a writer."

"This isn't a story anymore, man. This is real!" Dean snapped. "And you're in it! Now, I need you to get off your ass and fight."

Chuck sighed and walked past Dean.

"Come on, Chuck," Dean pleaded.

"Chuck, you might as well," Amy said. "If what Dean says is true, it sounds like you're our best shot."

Chuck spun back around to face them. "No friggin' way."

Dean nodded and walked back towards Chuck. "Okay, well, then, how about this. I've got a gun in my pocket, and if you don't come with me, I'll blow your brains out."

Chuck smirked. "I thought you said I was protected by an archangel."

"Hey, don't you get all smug on us now," Amy said.

Dean smirked. "Well, interesting exercise. Let's see who the quicker draw is."

Chuck sighed as he set the glass down on the table. "Fine. Let's go."

Dean led them back out to the Impala. Chuck got into the passenger side while Amy slid into the backseat.

"Okay," Dean said as he drove away from Chuck's house, "so, Cas said that all we need to do to get Lilith to leave is have you be in the same room as her."

"And then she'll be killed?" Chuck asked.

"That or she'll leave before the archangel gets a chance to do anything," Dean said. "Okay, look, all you gotta do is run into that room. The archangel will take care of the rest...I think."

* * *

A few short minutes later, Dean pulled into the parking lot. Amy and Chuck followed behind as he ran up to the motel room and unlocked the door, running inside.

Lilith was already inside with Sam, possessing the body of a blonde woman in a black dress. She had him pinned to the bed, with Ruby's knife raised above his head, as Chuck ran past Dean into the room.

"I-I am the prophet, Chuck!" Chuck stammered.

Lilith rolled her eyes. "You've got to be joking," she said as she stood up. She started advancing on Chuck, who began to back away.

"Oh, this is no joke," Dean said as the room began to shake. Amy backed behind Dean as a bright, white, light began to fill the room. "You see, Chuck here's got an archangel on his shoulder," Dean continued over the noise. "You've got about 10 seconds before this room is full of wrath and you're a piece of charcoal. You sure you want to tangle with that?"

Lilith looked over at Sam. Fear flashed in her eyes before she turned her head towards the ceiling and left the vessel. She screamed as black smoke poured out of the woman's mouth and through the vent in the ceiling. The vessel collapsed to the ground.

Amy sighed in relief as the room stopped shaking.

Chuck did the same as he turned to Dean. "So, is that it?" he asked. "Can I go home now?"

Dean nodded. "Yeah. Uh, just let us pack up our stuff first and then I'll drive you home on our way out of town."

Chuck nodded. He picked up a chair that had fallen over and sat down in it. "You guys got any beer?"

"Yeah." Dean pointed to the mini-fridge behind Amy. "Ames, there should be some in there, can you grab us a few."

Amy walked over to the fridge and pulled out three beer bottles. As she turned back around, her duffle bag began sliding off of the bed. "Shit!" she said as she quickly moved all the bottles to one arm and held out her other hand, using her powers to stop it from falling all the way.

"Whoa." Amy looked up to see Chuck staring at her in shock. "Okay, that was pretty cool."

Amy smiled as Dean walked over and took the beers from her.

Realization flashed across Chuck's face. "Oh, um, I think there's something you guys should know about her powers."

Sam and Dean exchanged a glance, before turning to Chuck. "What is it?" they asked simultaneously.

Chuck looked over at Amy as if asking her if she wanted Sam and Dean to know. When she nodded, he turned back to the Winchesters. "I didn't write it in the books, but when I started writing about you guys, I had a couple of visions about Amy as well, when she was a baby."

"Wait, what?" Amy asked in confusion, walking up next to Sam and Dean.

"I saw her parents getting killed," Chuck explained. "The night she was sent to the other world. But I saw something before they were killed. And from what I saw..." he turned to face Amy, "I think you've had those powers way longer than you think you have."

All three hunters exchanged a look. Amy mainly looked up to see Sam and Dean's reactions.

"How much longer?" Dean asked.

Chuck sighed. "From what I saw, I think she's had them her whole life. I think she was born with them."

Neither Sam nor Dean said anything for a while. "I'm guessing this is the first you're hearing about this?" Dean asked Amy.

Amy nodded. "Yeah," she said softly. "Believe me, I'm just as shocked as you guys."

"Sorry," Chuck said. "I would have told you sooner, but with everything going on-"

Sam cut Chuck off. "It's okay. There weren't exactly any good times today or yesterday when you could have said something."

Chuck nodded.

"How can you be sure about this?" Dean asked.

"Because I saw Amy as a baby, with her parents before they were killed. There were things flying off shelves whenever she cried, uh, if she wanted something it would sometimes fly into her hands." Chuck sighed. "From what I gathered, her parents knew about her powers. They died trying to protect her from a demon that wanted to use her powers for his own purposes."

"What purposes were those?" Dean asked.

Chuck shrugged. "I didn't see that part."

Dean looked over at Amy, who was trying to make it look like this was the first she was hearing of this. "How are you doing over there, kiddo?"

Amy shrugged. "Fine, I guess. It's just a lot to take in, I guess."

Dean nodded. "Okay. Well, I don't think there's much we can do with this new info now," he said. "But don't think that changes anything, Ames." He ruffled her hair, much to her protest. "You're still family."

"Dean!" Amy cried out in mock protest as she fixed her hair.

Dean laughed. "Alright, everyone packed up and ready to go?" Sam and Amy nodded. "Alright, grab your crap. We're getting out of here."

* * *

Chuck and Amy sat in the back seat as Dean sped the Impala down the road to Chuck's house. The short ride was silent, as no one had much to say about anything. Finally, Dean pulled up in front of the house.

Chuck opened the back door and stepped out. He leaned back inside the car. "Thanks, guys."

"No problem," Dean said. "Oh, hey, Chuck?"

"Yeah?"

"Uh, if you have any more visions. You know, anything that could help us, don't hesitate to call, okay?"

Chuck nodded. "I'll see you guys." He closed the door and walked inside his house.

Sam looked down at his hands as Dean drove down the dark road. "Lilith offered me a deal," he finally said. "To stop the apocalypse."

"Really?" Dean asked.

Sam nodded.

"Hmm. So a deal, huh?"

Sam nodded. "That's what she said."

"To call the whole thing off – angels, seals, Lucifer rising, the whole nine?"

Sam nodded again. "That was the gist of it."

"Huh."

Sam looked up at Dean. "What?"

"You didn't think once about taking it?" Dean asked.

"I told her she could have Amy," Sam joked.

"Oh, ha ha ha," Amy said mockingly.

"I'm serious, Sam."

"You kidding me?" Sam scoffed. "Dude, you spent all day trying to talk me off the Lilith track."

"I'm just saying..."

"She would have found some way to weasel out of it," Sam argued. "And all it would have cost us was our lives."

Dean was silent for a moment. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

"Anyway, that's not the point."

"What's the point?" Dean asked, looking over at Sam.

"The point is, she's scared. I could see it. Lilith is running."

"Running from what?"

"Maybe she wants you to think she doesn't want to be killed," Amy guessed.

Sam shrugged. "You might be right. But she was telling the truth about one thing."

"What's that?"

"She's not gonna survive the apocalypse. I'll make sure of that."

Amy leaned back into her seat as the car fell silent. She could only hope that Sam wasn't having second thoughts and doubling back on the plan to not kill Lilith. If he did, then her attempt at stopping Lucifer from rising would have all been for nothing.


	26. Jump the Shark

**April 15th, 2009 - Humboldt, South Dakota**

Amy woke up to the sound of Dean falling out of the car. She sat up in the back seat, stretching her tense muscles from sleeping on the leather seats the night before.

"Hey. How'd you sleep?" Sam asked them. He was looking out at the lake they had parked near the night before.

Amy opened the car door and slid out of the car, walking up to join Sam near the hood. "That was the most uncomfortable sleep I've ever gotten," she said.

Dean picked himself up from the dirt. He stretched his arms as he walked around the front of the car to join his brother and Amy. "I'm starving. Let's get breakfast."

Amy nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I'm with Dean. I could eat."

Sam scoffed. "Where? We're like two hours from anything."

"But I'm hungry now," Dean whined.

Sam pointed his toothbrush towards the backseat. "There's probably still a sandwich in the back seat."

Dean rubbed a hand over his face as he walked around to the back seat and stuck an arm through the open window. He pulled out a paper bag and sniffed it, before immediately leaning his head back and gagging.

"It's tuna."

Amy wrinkled her nose. "Is that what I was smelling last night?"

Before anyone could say anything, a phone rang inside the car. Dean tossed the bag back into the backseat, before sticking his head inside the car and reaching into the glove compartment to find the ringing phone.

"Isn't that Dad's phone?" Sam asked as Dean glanced at the caller ID

Dean flipped the phone open, putting it to his ear. "Hello?" There was a brief pause as someone on the other line spoke. "He can't come to the phone," Dean informed the caller. "Can I help you?" There was another pause. Dean let out a long sigh. "Well, sorry to be the one to break this to you, pal, but John died more than two years ago."

At this, Sam and Amy turned around, both wondering who Dean was talking to. Dean looked back at them in confusion. "Who is this?"

There was a very short pause. "What?" Dean suddenly asked. He nodded a couple of times, listening to whoever was talking on the other line. "Yeah, we used to work with John. Uh, maybe we can help?" There was another pause. "Great. Okay, sure. Uh, how about we meet somewhere? What, uh, where would be the best place?" Another pause. "Cousin Oliver's in Windom, Minnesota. Alright, we'll meet you there in a few hours."

Dean hung up the phone and walked back around to rejoin Sam and Amy.

"Who was that?" Sam asked.

"Some kid looking for dad. Said his name was Adam Milligan and that he was dad's son."

Amy thought for a moment. "That name does sound familiar," she said. "I think he actually is your brother if I remember correctly. Half-brother, at least."

Sam and Dean exchanged a look as if silently asking the other something. After a moment, Sam shrugged.

"I say we go meet the guy," he said.

"It could be a trap," Dean stated. "Could be something that wanted to trick dad into meeting it so it could kill him."

"Or," Amy said, "and hear me out here, it's an actual human being that needs help."

Dean shook his head. "No, there's something off about this. I wanna find out what this thing's deal is."

Amy sighed before climbing back into the backseat behind Sam. "Can we at least find somewhere to stop first and get something to eat?"

Dean nodded. "I'll stop at the first mini-mart I see. We can pick something up there."

Amy nodded as she folded her hoodie into a pillow and put it against the window as Dean pulled the car back onto the main road and started driving.

* * *

**Windom, Minnesota**

Dean pulled the Impala into the parking lot of Cousin Oliver's Hilltop Cafe. He got out of the car, a stern expression on his face, and made his way to the trunk.

Amy and Sam followed him around to the trunk.

"Dean, I really don't think this is a trap," Amy told him.

"I think Amy's right," Sam agreed. "Dean, look, best I can tell, Adam Milligan is real." He opened a file that he had picked up on the Milligan family on the way there.

Dean opened the trunk and propped up the weapons box, ignoring Sam as he read one of the papers in the folder.

"Um, born September twenty-ninth, 1990 to Kate Milligan. No father listed on the birth certificate. He's an Eagle Scout."

Dean pulled out various weapons from the trunk, including Ruby's knife.

"Graduated from high school with honors and currently goes to the University of Wisconsin—biology major, pre-med," Sam continued. He looked up as Dean closed the weapons box. "Dean? You listening?"

"This is a trap," Dean said decisively. He slammed the trunk closed and walked past Sam and Amy.

Sam and Amy exchanged a glance, before following Dean.

A bell rang over their heads as they entered the diner. Faint music played overhead as they searched around for an empty booth. Dean spotted one in the corner and led them over.

Amy sat down in a chair nearest the window, while Sam and Dean sat opposite her, leaving the empty chair next to Amy open for Adam.

Sam put their dad's journal and the folder on the table in front of him. "Dean, I'm telling you, the kid checks out."

"Great, so he's an actual person on the planet Earth. Sucks he's got a demon in him."

A waitress walked over to them with menus and three glasses of water. She was wearing a nametag that said 'Denise' on it.

"Hi. Welcome to Cousin Oliver's," Denise said cheerfully as she put a glass of water in front of each of them.

Sam smiled. "Thanks."

"Can I—"

Dean cut the waitress off. "We're actually waiting on somebody."

"Sorry about him," Amy apologized for Dean.

Denise scoffed, clearly annoyed, and tossed the menus down in front of them before walking away.

"Thank you..." Sam trailed off when Denise was too far away to hear him.

Dean took his glass of water and poured it into the potted plant behind him.

"What are you doing?" Amy asked.

In response, Dean took out a flask and unscrewed the top

"Holy water?" Sam asked as if he couldn't believe what his brother was doing.

"Yup." Dean picked up the empty glass and filled it up with holy water under the table. "One sip of Jesus juice, this evil bitch is gonna be in a world of hurt."

Amy rolled her eyes as Dean put the glass in front of the spot Adam would sit at.

"I don't think he's possessed, Dean," Amy said.

Dean put a felt wrapped package out of his jacket pocket and undid it. "Then he's a shapeshifter," he said. He took the silver cutlery and replaced the silverware at Adam's place with it, dropping the silverware already there on the floor.

"Hence the silver," Sam realized. He placed their dad's journal on top of his menu.

"Look, either way, this thing is gonna bleed," Dean stated. "I mean, using Dad as bait? That's the last mistake of its short, pitiful life."

"Okay, say Adam is a monster," Amy said. "What are you gonna do, gank him in a crowded place like this."

Dean ignored her. He finally noticed Sam frowning at him and looked over. "What?"

Sam looked away.

"What?" Dean repeated.

"Dean...listen. There's an entry in Dad's journal." Sam flipped through some pages until he found what he was looking for. "From January of 1990, saying he's headed to Minnesota to check out a case. That's, roughly, oh, about nine months before the kid was born."

Dean rolled his eyes. "Coincidence."

"Coincidence," Sam repeated. He flipped to another page. "Next two pages of the journal—torn out."

Sure enough, all that remained of the pages were the edges that had been torn along the three metal rings.

Dean stared at the journal for a moment. "You're not actually buying this, are you?"

"Dean, I don't even know if I believe it," Amy said. "But it could be possible."

Sam closed the journal and picked it up, waving it in the air. "Dean, Dad would be gone for weeks at a time, and he wasn't exactly a monk." He put the journal away. "I mean, a hunter rolls into town, kills a monster, saves the girl...sometimes the girl's grateful."

Dean rolled his eyes. "Well, now I'm thinking about Dad sex. Stop talking."

"Maybe he slipped one past the goalie," Sam continued.

"Sam?" Amy asked. "I'm begging you, please stop."

The hunters looked up as the bell above the door chimed and a young man wearing a tan jacket and a backpack entered the diner. He looked around the diner as if looking for someone.

Sam held a hand in the air. "Adam?"

Adam spotted them at the table and walked over.

"You Sam?" he asked.

Sam nodded. "Yeah. Uh, this is Dean, and that's Amy."

Amy waved. "Hi."

"Hey." Adam set his backpack on the floor next to the empty chair and sat down. "So, um...how did you know my dad?" he asked awkwardly.

"Uh, we worked together," Sam told him.

Visible confusion flashed across Adam's face. "How did he die?"

"On the job."

Adam frowned. "He was a mechanic, right?"

"A car fell on him," Dean stated bluntly.

Denise came back up to the table with another glass of water.

"Hey, Adam," she greeted. "How you doing?" She set the water in front of Adam.

Dean reached over and grabbed the glass. "Oh, I'll take that. I am very thirsty." He took a sip of the water.

Amy rolled her eyes. "Dean..."

Denise sighed before turning back to Adam. "The usual, Adam?"

"Uh, yeah. Thanks, Denise."

Denise left and Adam picked up the glass filled with holy water. He took a drink of it, but nothing happened. Sam and Dean relaxed.

"So, uh, when's the last time you saw John?" Sam asked as Adam set the glass down.

"I don't even know," Adam admitted. He thought for a second. "It's...a couple of years."

"Why did you decide to call him now?" Sam asked.

"I didn't know who else to call. He's the only family I got." At Sam's confused look, Adam added, "My mom's missing."

"Really?" Sam asked. "I'm sorry. Uh, for how long?"

"It's tragic, really," Dean interrupted. "But if you're John's kid, how come we've never heard of you?"

Adam sighed. "'Cause John and me didn't really know each other. Not until a few years ago, anyway."

"What do you mean?"

"My mom never talked about him. I knew some stuff."

"What kind of stuff?" Dean asked.

"My mom's a nurse, and Dad came into the ER, pretty torn up. Hunting accident or something," Adam explained. "And I knew his name. John Winchester. That's about it. We're not exactly a nuclear family."

"I don't think anyone really is these days," Amy piped up.

"So, when did you, uh, when did you finally meet him?" Dean asked.

"When I was twelve." Adam shifted in his seat as he told them the story. "My mom had one of his old numbers, and...and after I begged her—God, twenty-four-seven—she finally called him." Adam smiled. "God, when John heard he had a son, he raced to town. I mean, he dropped everything. He drove all night."

Denise came back and put a plate in front of Adam. "There you go."

"Thanks."

"Well, that's heartwarming," Dean told him.

Adam pointed to his food. "You mind?"

Dean smiled, almost menacingly. "Please, dig in."

Adam took the napkin out from the silverware without touching the silver. Amy heard the faint sound of a pistol cocking under the table.

"He would swing by once a year or so." Adam picked up the knife and fork, but nothing happened. "You know, called when he could. But still..."

Dean glanced away and put the gun back in his jacket as Adam took a bite of his food.

"He taught me poker and pool and even bought me my first beer when I was fifteen. And, uh...he showed me how to drive. Dad, he had this beautiful 'sixty-seven Impala—"

Dean suddenly cut Adam off. "Oh, this is crap," he declared. "You know what, you're lying."

Adam looked up at him in confusion. "No, I'm not."

"Uh, yeah, you are."

"I'm sorry, but who the hell are you to call me a liar?" Adam asked angrily.

"We're John Winchester's sons, that's who." Dean waved a finger between himself and Sam. " _We_ are his sons."

Adam stared at Sam and Dean for a moment. "I've got brothers?" he asked. He turned to Amy. "And a sister?"

"Oh, no." Amy shook her head. "I'm not related to them."

"No, you don't have brothers," Dean snapped. "Look, man, I don't know if you're a hunter or what kind of game you're playing here."

Adam shook his head. "I have never been hunting in my life."

Dean scoffed. "Whatever. I'm out of here. Sam, Amy, let's go."

Dean stood up to leave, but Sam and Amy stayed seated.

"I can prove it," Adam called after him.

Dean stopped in his tracks and turned back to face Adam. He walked back over to the table. "How?" he demanded.

"I have pictures of dad at my house. Pictures of the three of us together." Adam looked around at the hunters. "I can show them to you."

"And we're just supposed to follow you to your house?" Dean asked.

"Dean, I think we should," Sam said. "I mean, if what Adam is saying is true, then that means he really is our brother and his mother is missing."

"And if he's lying?" Dean snapped.

"You know, I'm right here," Adam spoke up. "Look, just let me prove it to you. I'll take you to my house, and you can see for yourself."

Sam, Dean, and Amy exchanged glances.

"I say we go," Amy finally said. Sam nodded in agreement.

Dean let out a frustrated groan. "Fine! Let's go."

Adam paid for his meal and picked up his backpack, following the hunters out of the diner. He pointed to a white pick-up truck across the parking lot. "That's my truck over there. The house is just a few miles straight down the road."

Sam nodded. "Alright, lead the way. We'll follow." He started to open the door to the passenger side of the Impala

At the sight of the car, Adam seemed to freeze. He stared at the black car as if it was the most beautiful thing he had ever laid eyes on.

Dean cleared his throat, getting Adam's attention. Adam got the hint and hurried off to his truck, pulling out of the parking lot and starting the drive down the road. Sam, Dean, and Amy climbed into the Impala and drove after him.

* * *

It was a short, ten-minute drive to the Milligan house. Dean parked the Impala next to Adam's truck and Adam led them inside the two-story house.

Adam led them into the living room and picked up a picture frame from the coffee table. "Here," he said as he handed the picture to Dean. Sam and Amy examined the picture with him.

The picture was one of Adam and John Winchester. John was wearing a baseball cap in the image.

"He took you to a baseball game?" Dean asked in disbelief. His voice was shaking unsteadily.

Adam smiled. "Yeah, when I turned fourteen."

"Ah," Dean said as if he couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"Dad was around for a few of my birthdays," Adam continued.

Sam flipped open their dad's journal. "September twenty-ninth, two thousand four," he read. "One word. 'Minnesota.'."

Dean's voice quivered slightly "He took you to a freakin' baseball game?" Dean repeated quietly.

"Yeah. Why? What'd Dad do with you on your birthday?" Adam took the picture back.

Dean looked like he was trying not to hit something. "Oh..."

Sam changed the subject. "Adam, you said you called Dad because your mom was missing."

"Yeah."

"How long has she been gone?"

"Three days."

"Who was the last person to see her?" Dean asked.

"Mr. Abbinanti, our neighbor. "He saw her come home Tuesday night, but she never showed up to work on Wednesday."

Dean looked over at another picture. Amy followed his gaze to see a framed photo on the fireplace of John hugging a woman. She put a comforting hand on Dean's shoulder. Dean took a deep breath and looked down, his shoulders relaxing slightly.

"Did you call the police?" Sam continued.

"Mom's supervisor at the hospital did," Adam confirmed. "And then I drove down here as fast as I could." He paused for a moment and his face fell. "I should have been here," he said sadly.

"What did the cops say?" Amy asked.

"That they, uh, they searched the house. They didn't find anything." Tears started forming in Adam's eyes. "She wouldn't leave without telling anybody. It's like she just dropped off the face of the earth, you know?"

"Maybe we could look around," Sam suggested. "See if there's anything the cops missed."

Adam scoffed. "You think the cops missed something?"

Amy shrugged. "I mean, it is possible."

"Please, Adam," Sam said. "Just let us take a few minutes to look around."

Adam hesitated a moment, before nodding. "My mom's room is upstairs."

Dean nodded. "Lead the way."

"Dean, Amy." Sam motioned the other hunters over to a place Adam couldn't hear them. "I'm gonna go talk to the cops while you guys search around here. See if there's anything they can tell us."

"Sounds good," Amy said.

Adam led Amy and Dean upstairs and down the hallway to his mother's bedroom.

"Feel free to look around," he told them. He stood in front of the closet, watching the two hunters.

Amy and Dean moved to opposite sides of the room. Amy spotted a broken picture of John lying on the ground next to the knocked over nightstand by the bed. She examined the area around the nightstand but didn't find anything unusual.

Dean shifted a white dresser out of the way, but found nothing and moved it back. He focused on another picture on top of the dresser, before clearing his throat and turning back to Adam. "The, uh, nightstand was knocked over. Was there anything else?" he asked.

Adam shook his head. "Oh, not really. The sheriff said there's no sign of a break-in."

Dean scoffed and looked around the room. "Amy, you find anything?"

"Just a broken picture frame," Amy replied.

"What, you think the cops missed something?" Adam asked.

"Maybe. Yeah. They don't have my eyes." Dean walked over to the window.

Adam frowned. "You're a mechanic."

"Yeah. That's right."

Adam hesitated as if he didn't know how to ask his next question. "Dean, what else can you tell me about Dad?"

Dean didn't even look at Adam. "You knew him."

"Not as well as you," Adam admitted.

Dean scoffed. "Trust me, kid, you don't want to know."

Footsteps could be heard in the hallway and Sam appeared a moment later, holding some papers.

"Give us a minute."

Dean and Amy followed Sam out to the hallway.

'You talk to the cops?"

"Yeah," Sam said quietly enough so that Adam didn't hear. "Like Adam said, no leads on his mom."

Dean scoffed. "Shocker there."

"So, now what?" Amy asked.

"I found this." Sam flipped through the papers."Um...here." He handed Dean a newspaper article. It was a copy of the 'Windom Gazette,' dated January ninth, 1990 with the headline 'Missing Bodies Found' with the 'Seventeen bodies recovered from abandoned shed.' "In nineteen ninety, there were seventeen grave robberies in Windom."

"You think that's why Dad came through here?" Dean asked.

"I'd say so. Check it out." Sam pointed to the picture under the headline.

Dean moved the paper closer to his face to get a good look. Amy had to stand on her toes to see but hidden just behind the arm of one of the other people in the picture, was the faint image of John.

"What was he hunting?" Amy asked.

"No idea. Those were the pages he threw out of the journal. But last month, the corpse snatching started up again. Three bodies from the local cemetery.

"So whatever he was after, he didn't kill it," Dean realized. "It's back."

"And, what, it's stepped up its game to fresh meat? I mean, Kate's missing, and, uh—" Sam handed Dean another photo. It was of a man in large glasses. "So is a local bartender—a guy named Joe Barton."

Dean took the photo and went back into the room. After a moment, Sam and Amy followed.

Adam was sitting on the bed when they entered. Dean showed him the picture of Joe Barton. "Hey, does your mom know Joe Barton?" Dean was asking.

"Uh, I don't think so," Adam said. "Why?"

Dean sighed as he looked back at Sam and Amy. He turned back to Adam but frowned when he noticed something on the floor. He walked over to get a closer look.

Adam stood up from the bed. "What is it?"

"Watch out." Dean flipped the edge of the comforter up and looked under the bed. After a moment, he stood back up. "Give me a hand with the mattress," he instructed.

Sam and Amy watched as Dean tossed the pillows aside and, with Adam's help, moved the mattress off the frame.

Directly under the bed was a vent large enough for someone to fit through. Sam and Dean stared at it for a moment, then raised a fist for rock-paper-scissors. Amy stopped them before they could make any moves.

"Oh, for God's sake, I'll go," she huffed. "I'm small enough, I'll fit."

Dean shook his head. "Not happening. Sammy or I will go."

"No negotiations," Amy said. "I can fit down there, so I'll go."

Sam and Dean exchanged a glance. Sam nodded.

"Alright," Dean said. "Just...be careful."

Sam and Dean pulled the cover off of the vent. It was too dark to see anything underneath.

"You got a flashlight?" Dean asked Adam.

Adam opened a drawer in the nightstand and pulled out a small flashlight, tossing it to Amy.

Amy carefully lowered herself into the air duct. The light from her flashlight shone on bloodstains that led to a T-junction. The stains seemed to get bigger as they went along.

"There's a lot of blood down here, guys," she called back to them.

"Shit," she heard Dean hiss. "See anything else?"

"Hold on."

Amy army crawled down the air duct, following the pool of blood. As she reached the t-junction, she could see more blood going around the corner. The unpleasant, but the familiar smell of death started to reach her nostrils. Amy shined her light around one corner but didn't see anything. She turned to look down the other corner, and her blood ran cold.

Down the other side of the junction was a lot of blood, along with various pieces of flesh, bone, and hair. Amy gagged as she quickly made her way back out of the vent. Sam and Dean quickly pulled her out of the duct.

"Well?" Sam asked.

"Uh, there was a lot of blood down there. Way too much. "

The color drained from Adam's face as he sat back down on the bed. "My mom. Is she...?"

"We don't know that," Sam assured him.

"Okay, uh, Adam," Dean said, "call the cops. Let them know about the vent. Me, Sammy, and Amy need to get going, though." He started walking for the door.

"Woah, wait," Adam stopped them, "you have to leave? Now? You're the ones that found the vent, the cops are gonna wanna talk to you."

"And that's exactly why we can't stay." Leaving a very confused Adam behind, Dean led Sam and Amy out of the house and back to the Impala. Amy saw Adam watching them from the second-floor window as Dean pulled the car away from the house.

* * *

They checked into Kelsey Manor a few miles down the road. Sam checked them in while Dean called Adam to let them know where they were staying.

"So, what exactly did you see down there?" Dean asked as Sam led them to the room. "I could tell you were leaving some stuff out, for Adam's sake."

Amy took a deep breath. "There was a lot of blood covering all sides of the duct, along with a lot of flesh, bone, and bits of blonde hair. If anyone was down there, it's pretty unlikely they survived."

Dean nodded as Sam unlocked the door to the room and let them in. "What do you think, Sammy?"

Sam tossed his bag onto the bed. "Shapeshifter, maybe?"

"It's possible." Dean put his bag onto the table. "I mean Adam wasn't one but that doesn't mean his 'mother' isn't. But, then again, there's more than one monster that fits what this thing is doing."

"How are we gonna find it, though?" Amy asked.

"Well, there's a good chance it'll come back for Adam next," Dean said as he opened his duffle bag up and pulled out his shotgun and a rag. "We just gotta catch it before it's too late."

* * *

Twenty minutes later, there was a knock on the door. All three hunters looked up as Sam cautiously made his way over to answer it. Sam opened the door and Adam shoved his way inside.

"Who the hell are you?" Adam demanded.

Amy sat up on the bed. "Adam?"

"Hey, take it easy." Sam closed the door behind Adam as Dean flipped a cloth over his shotgun.

"No, don't tell me to take it easy, okay?" Adam's voice shook as he walked around to stand in front of the beds. "My house is a crime scene, my mom's probably dead, and you three-" Adam scoffed, "-well, you tell me to call the cops, but you got to bail before they show? So, who are you really?"

The hunters exchanged a look, but no one said anything.

Adam looked over at Dean. "Cops didn't know where to look for my mom, Dean, but you did. And I heard you talking earlier—something about grave robberies." Adam's eyes flickered over to the end of the shotgun that hadn't been completely covered by the cloth. "You're not mechanics," he realized. "I just want to know what's going on."

More silence filled the room.

"Please," Adam pleaded.

Sam hesitated for a moment, before finally speaking. "We're hunters," he admitted.

"Sammy!" Dean snapped.

"He deserves to know, Dean," Sam argued.

Adam looked up at Sam. "What do you mean, 'hunters'?"

Dean shook his head.

Amy sat on the edge of the bed. "He means we hunt monsters," she clarified.

"Amy!" Dean snapped.

"No, Sam's right, Dean!" Amy argued back. "Adam's your brother, he deserves to know the truth."

"What are you guys talking about?" Adam asked. "Monsters?"

"Ghosts, werewolves, vampires, those sorts of things," Dean replied. "We hunt them down and we kill them." He pulled his shotgun out from the cloth and tossed it next to the pillows, before standing from the bed.

"But..." Adam scoffed, "I mean, come on, those things don't exist, right?"

"Actually, Adam, they do," Sam said. He sat down on one of the beds. "Those monsters, and more, are real."

Adam sat down next to Amy, on the bed across from Sam. "Okay, so...basically, you're saying that every movie monster, every nightmare that I've ever had, that's all real?"

" _Godzilla'_ s just a movie," Dean offered helpfully from his chair over by the window.

"We hunt them," Sam said. "So did Dad."

Adam took a deep breath. "Okay."

Amy raised an eyebrow. "That...is not the response I was expecting."

Adam shrugged. "What am I supposed to say?"

"That we're liars, that we're crazy," Dean told him. "Nobody just says "okay."."

"Well, you're my brothers. You're telling me the truth, right?"

Sam, Dean, and Amy exchanged a glance.

"Yeah," Dean finally said.

Adam nodded. "Then I believe you." He looked over at Amy. "And, what about you? You're a hunter as well?"

Amy nodded. "Yeah. I only met Sam and Dean a couple of years ago, kinda unexpectedly."

"Yeah, she kinda got pulled into this life," Dean added jokingly.

Adam nodded again. "Now, what took my mom?" he asked

"We're not sure," Sam admitted. "Something's in town stealing bodies, living and dead, but we don't know what."

"There's a long list of freaks that fit the bill."

"You think maybe she might still be alive?" Adam asked hopefully, turning to Dean.

Dean looked down at the table, avoiding eye contact with Adam. Adam looked over at Sam, who also looked down, and Amy, who fidgeted with the sleeve of her jacket.

Adam seemed to realize what they were implying. "Oh." His gaze fell to the floor. "How can I help?"

"You can't," Dean said.

"This thing killed my mom," Adam reminded him. "If you're hunting it, I want in."

Dean shook his head. "No."

"Adam, hunting isn't just something you can learn how to do in a day," Amy said. "It took me a pretty long time to learn how to do this. Plus, it's dangerous."

Sam sighed. "Look, maybe—"

Dean cut Sam off. "Maybe what?"

"He lost his mother," Sam snapped. "Maybe we can understand what that feels like."

Dean stood up and strode over to the bed. "Why do you think Dad never told us about this kid, Sam? Huh?" He held up their dad's journal. "Why do you think he ripped out the pages?"

"Because—"

"Because he was protecting him!" Dean finished.

"Dad's dead, Dean," Sam said quietly.

"That doesn't matter!" Dean shouted. "He didn't want Adam to have our lives, okay? And we are gonna respect his wishes."

"Do I get a say in this?" Adam asked.

"No!" Dean snapped.

Sam held up a finger. "No," he said a bit more calmly than his brother.

Dean stared in disbelief at Adam for a moment, before walking for the door. "Babysit the kid."

"Where are you going?" Sam asked.

Dean grabbed his jacket. "I'm going out!" He stormed out of the motel room, slamming the door behind him.

Sam exhaled sharply.

"Is he always like that?" Adam asked.

"Yeah, pretty much," Amy said.

"Welcome to the family," Sam added. There was a brief pause as he seemed to decide something. "Here." He reached into his back pocket and pulled out his pistol, ejecting the clip. "I'm gonna teach you a few things."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Amy asked.

Sam nodded. "Yeah, I am."

"Uh, Dean said—"

"I know what Dean said," Sam said, cutting Adam off. He unloaded the gun and handed it to Adam, who cautiously took it. "And I know what it's like to want revenge."

Amy sighed, before pulling out her pistol as well. "Guess there's no point in just sitting here, then, while you teach Adam all this stuff."

Sam nodded. He turned back to Adam. "Alright, let's go over the basics."

* * *

They sat with Adam for the next hour, teaching him everything he needed to know about guns.

After a while, Sam let Amy take over while he cleaned his shotgun.

"Sam," Adam asked, breaking the long silence, "how did Dad really die?"

"Demon." Sam continued cleaning his shotgun, not looking at Adam.

Adam nodded. "You all hunted it down? Got revenge?"

"They did." Amy nodded towards Sam.

"Dean killed it," Sam clarified.

"So it's over for you."

Sam finally looked over at Adam. "It's never over."

As soon as he said those words, the lights went out in the room.

Adam looked up. "What the—"

Sam cut him off. "Shh."

Something rattled in the vents above them. Everyone stood up, Sam and Amy on high alert.

"It's in the vents," Amy whispered, grabbing her gun.

"Adam, stay here," Sam instructed.

Sam and Amy readied their guns and approached the door, guns aimed at the vent near the ceiling. Whatever was in the vents moved again.

"Go, go!" Sam yelled. He fired a shot at the vent and hurried Adam and Amy out of the room.

"Where's your car?" Sam asked as they ran down the stairs to the parking lot.

Adam pointed to his pick-up. "Over here."

"All right, keys."

"Here." Adam tossed the keys over to Sam and ran for the passenger side while Amy hurried to the driver's side with Sam.

As Sam fumbled with the keys, Amy felt something grab her ankle. Sharp claws dug into her skin as she was suddenly yanked to the ground. She grabbed onto the bottom of the truck as the creature tried to pull her further underneath.

"Amy!" Sam dropped the keys and grabbed one of her arms as Adam ran around and grabbed her other arm.

Amy kicked her free foot in the direction of whatever had a hold of her, as Sam and Adam tried to pull her free. She felt blood trickle down her ankle as the creature's nails dug deeper into her skin.

At that moment, the Impala sped up and Dean rushed out, dressed in his FBI uniform.

"Dean, help!" Adam called out.

Sam and Adam finally managed to pull Amy free. Dean grabbed his shotgun and aimed it under the truck, firing blindly. There was a shriek followed by the clanging of metal.

"I think I hit it," Dean said. He picked the keys up from the ground and hopped into the truck. Sam helped Amy to her feet as Dean backed the truck up to reveal an open sewer grate underneath the vehicle.

"How's your ankle?" Sam asked.

Amy's ankle had deep, long cuts going all around it from and blood coated her socks and shoes from when the monster's nails were dragged down her skin. The adrenaline was running out and she was quickly feeling a lot of pain run through her leg. The look she gave Sam was the only answer he needed.

"Come on." Sam helped her over to the Impala and sat her down on the hood, taking all weight off of her injury. "We'll get that looked at later. Might just need a few stitches."

Dean was examining the blood on the edge of the sewer grate. He stood up and walked over to Sam and Amy.

"I winged it." He turned to Amy. "Did you see anything?"

Amy shook her head. "I was too busy trying not to get pulled into the sewer."

"What the hell is this thing?"

Adam stood back up. "Why-who-" he stuttered, "should we go after it?"

Dean shook his head. "No, no. In that maze? That thing's long gone."

Sam sighed. "All right, so, we don't know what it is, but we do know who it's going after. Joe Barton, Adam's mom—"

"And Adam," Dean continued. "It was under his truck, just waiting for him."

"It set a trap, and I walked right into it," Sam said solemnly.

Dean shook his head. "Doesn't matter. You're right—there's a pattern. Joe Barton was a cop. I'm pretty sure he helped out Dad. So we've got him, Dad's girl, and his son."

"All the people Dad knew in town."

"Why did it grab me, though?" Amy asked.

"Maybe it thought it was grabbing Sam," Dean suggested. "But at least we know why it's back."

"It wants revenge," Adam spoke up.

The hunters turned to look at Adam. He had a grief-stricken look plastered on his face as he stared directly at the open sewer grate underneath where his truck had been parked.

"Alright, new plan," Dean said. "Adam, we're getting you out of town."

Adam looked over at him. "What?"

"We have a friend in Sioux Falls," Dean continued. "He's a hunter, like us. He can keep you safe while the three of us find and kill this thing."

"I don't get a say in this, do I?" Adam asked.

Dean shook his head. "No, you don't. Right now, our main priority is keeping you safe, okay?" He handed Adam his keys. "We'll follow you to your house so you can grab your stuff and then we're hitting the road."

Adam nodded. He took the keys from Dean and hopped in his truck, pulling out of the parking lot and started the drive towards his house.

Dean watched Adam drive away, before walking over to Sam and Amy. "How's the ankle?"

"It'll feel better once I get it wrapped up, I think," Amy said. "But right now I can't put any weight on it."

Dean nodded. "We'll take care of that back at Adam's then."

Sam and Dean helped Amy off of the hood and into the backseat of the car. She propped her injured ankle up on the seat next to her. The Winchesters got into the front seat and Dean pulled out of the parking lot, following Adam towards his house.

* * *

They reached Adam's house a short while later. The pain in Amy's ankle had subsided enough that she could now walk on it, and she followed the others inside the house. They entered the back door to the kitchen.

"Grab your stuff," Dean told Adam. "We'll hit the road."

Adam flipped on the light and headed upstairs. Amy sat down at the table, putting her ankle on the chair.

"We shouldn't leave," Sam said. He tossed Amy an ace bandage.

Dean scoffed. "Yeah, let's stay here, where the kid's mom got ganked. Good one."

"I'm serious."

"Sam, are you crazy?" Amy asked.

Sam shrugged.

"Sam, we're gonna take the kid, we're gonna drop him off at Bobby's," Dean snapped, "and then you, me, and Amy are gonna come back here and finish what Dad started."

"How?" Sam asked. "We got no leads, no witnesses. We do have what this thing wants."

Amy stared up at Sam in disbelief. "You can't seriously be suggesting what I think you are."

"You want to use the kid as bait?" Dean realized. "That's why you want to stay here?"

Sam shrugged. "Maybe this thing will come back. We could train Adam. Get him ready."

"In a day?" Amy asked. "It took me months to learn how to hunt." She unrolled the bandage and began wrapping up her ankle.

"He could die, Sam," Dean added.

"We could all die, Dean," Sam argued. "Even if we do kill this thing, there are tons of other freaks that want revenge, on Dad, on us. What if they find the kid instead and he's not ready?"

"I'll do it." The hunters looked up to see Adam standing in the doorway, holding a backpack. "Whatever it takes, I'll do it. I want to do it."

Dean sighed, seeing the determined look in Adam's eyes. There was no talking his half-brother out of this. "Fine," he said, "get some sleep and tomorrow morning we'll get some practice in you. Me, Sammy, and Amy will stay here tonight, just in case this thing tries to finish the job."

Adam nodded. "Okay." He looked around the room. "There's a guest bedroom upstairs, or the couch in the living room, whichever you prefer."

"Amy, can you make it up the stairs?"

Amy finished wrapping up her ankle and stood up from the chair, cautiously putting her injured leg on the ground. She took a few steps, and when she didn't feel any pain, she looked up at Dean. "Yeah, I think so."

"Okay, you can take the guest bedroom, then."

"I'll take the couch," Sam said.

"And I can just sleep on the floor."

Adam nodded. "Okay. Amy, I'll show you where the guest bedroom is."

"Alright." Amy followed Adam out of the kitchen. "Night, guys."

Adam led her upstairs and down the hall. He opened one of the doors and turned on the light. "Here you are, then."

Amy stepped inside the room. "Thanks, Adam."

"No problem. Night." Adam closed the door as he left the room.

Amy sat down on the wire-frame bed and kicked off her shoes. The bed squeaked as she laid down and drifted off into sleep.

* * *

**April 16th, 2009**

The next morning, Amy was woken up by three continuous gunshots from outside. She stood up and made her way over to the window. Looking out, she saw Sam, Dean, and Adam outside in a makeshift shooting range. Dean was leaning against the Impala as Sam taught Adam how to shoot a gun.

Amy slipped her shoes on and headed downstairs. She made it outside just as Adam fired three rounds fairly close to each other in one of the targets Sam had put up.

"Beginner's luck, right?" Adam asked.

Sam pat Adam on the back. "Nah, man. You're a natural. Good shooting."

"Thanks."

Amy made her way over to Dean. He turned around as she approached.

"Hey, you're up," he greeted.

Amy sat on the hood of the Impala. "Yeah, well, it was kinda hard to ignore the gunshots." She nodded towards Sam and Adam. "How's Adam doing?"

"Sam's been teaching him some basics this morning. Adam's actually pretty good with a gun, I'll admit." Dean sighed. "I still think we should get him to Bobby's though."

"Adam wanted to do this, Dean," Amy reminded him. "He wanted to help."

Dean sighed. "He's just a kid."

"He's only a year younger than me," Amy pointed out.

Dean crossed his arms. "You realize that doesn't make me feel any better, right?"

Amy sighed. "He's not a kid, Dean. If he wants to help, I say let him. I'm not saying let him keep hunting after," she clarified, "but let him help with this one thing. Let him help take down the thing that killed his mother."

Dean didn't reply. He turned back to watch as Adam fired three more rounds into the target.

* * *

When Sam and Adam were done practicing with the gun, they headed inside. Sam grabbed some lore books from the Impala and carried them inside, setting them on the table.

Adam sat down with Sam at the kitchen table while Amy and Dean sat across the room and watched. Sam began telling Adam about their hunts, including the Rougarou they had hunted down the year before.

"A rougarou?" Adam asked.

"They're these things that go through this metamorphosis process," Sam explained. "See, they start out human, but then they start craving human flesh. Once they take a bite of that, they change."

"Into one of those things," Adam said.

Sam nodded. "Exactly. Last year, we hunted our first one down. This friend of ours, Travis, called and asked us to help him take it down before the rougarou ate any human flesh and transformed. The only way to kill one is with fire, so we built flamethrowers and went after it."

Sam shifted in his seat. "Long story short, the plan went a little sideways and Travis was eaten. We tracked it down to its house, but it started going after us. So, then we lit it on fire."

"With a homemade flamethrower?" Adam asked in awe.

Sam chuckled. "Yeah. They're easy to build. I'll show you."

Adam smiled. "That is some job you got, man."

Sam's face fell. "Being a hunter isn't a job, Adam," he said. "It's life. You're pre-med. You got a girlfriend, friends?"

Adam nodded.

"Not anymore you don't. If you're really gonna do this, you can't have those kinds of connections, ever. They're weaknesses. You'll just put those people in danger, get them killed."

Dean looked away. Amy put a comforting hand on his shoulder, but even she couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"That's the price we pay," Sam continued. "You cut 'em out, and you don't look back. There's only one thing you can count on. Family."

"Sam," Dean spoke. Sam looked over at him. "Can I talk to you?"

Sam stood up and followed Dean out into the hallway.

Adam looked over at Amy. "Are they always like this?"

Amy sat down in the chair Sam had been using. "Pretty much? You kinda just get used to it after a while."

Footsteps approached and Sam reentered the room.

"Where's Dean?" Amy asked when the older Winchester didn't enter.

"He went out," Sam said simply. He pulled another chair up to the table and sat back down. Amy decided not to press the matter any further.

* * *

Sam and Amy spent the next several hours teaching Adam everything they could about hunting. By the time night fell, Adam knew almost everything he needed to about hunting.

"We don't have much time," Sam realized, "this thing could be here at any moment."

Adam nodded. "What do we need to do?"

"We need to cover all but one entrance," Sam explained. "Do you have any wooden boards?"

"Yeah, in the garage."

"Okay, good, I'll help you carry those in. We need to board up all but one vent." Sam turned to Amy. "Salt the windows and doors while we're outside." He stood up and headed outside.

Amy looked around the kitchen. "Adam, where's your salt?"

"Cupboard above the fridge." Adam hurried off after Sam.

Amy grabbed the salt and began salting the windows and doors throughout the house. Sam and Adam came back in with wooden boards, nails, and a hammer. For the next twenty minutes, they boarded up every vent and salted every window and door.

Finally, they had all but the vent on the floor in Kate's room boarded and salted. They left the cover slightly off and stood over it. Sam and Amy each had a shotgun in their hands.

"If anything's coming in, it'll be through here," Amy said.

At that moment, there was a creak from downstairs, like a door was opening. Sam, Amy, and Adam all looked up at the sound. They could hear faint footsteps down below.

"You were saying?" Adam asked.

A woman's voice came up the stairs. "Adam!" she called out in a panic. "Adam!"

Adam stared up at Sam. His breath was shaky. "Mom?" he called out. He ran out of the room

"No," Sam called after him. Adam didn't stop.

"Adam, wait!" Amy called out. She took off after Adam, her shotgun ready to fire.

Adam suddenly took off running downstairs. "Mom!" Adam shouted.

"Adam!" Amy heard Sam run downstairs behind her.

"Wait!"

Sam and Amy took off running down the stairs after Adam.

Adam ran into the kitchen, where the blonde woman from the photos with John and Adam was waiting downstairs, her hair was matted and she had on tattered clothes. He ran up to her. "Mom."

"Adam, wait!" Sam yelled as he ran into the kitchen with Amy. His shotgun was aimed at the woman

"It took me, but I got away," Kate said through tears.

"It's okay." Adam hugged his mother.

"I got away," Kate sobbed.

Amy aimed her shotgun as well. "Adam, that's not your mom."

"Step away from her," Sam ordered.

Adam looked at the two guns pointed at what he thought was his mom. "Sam, Amy, what the hell?!"

"She's not your mother!" Sam snapped.

"Adam, who—what is going on?" fake Kate asked.

"Get away from him!" Sam yelled.

"What is going on?" Kate demanded.

"What's going on, is you're not Adam's mom," Amy growled.

"Are you guys insane?" Adam asked as he shielded the woman from the gun. "It's really her, okay?"

"Adam, that vent was filled with a lot of blood, human flesh, bone..." Amy told him. "If anyone was down there, there's no way they could have survived."

"Your mother's dead," Sam said apologetically. "There was too much blood in the vents!"

Sam pulled Adam away from his fake mom and gave him the shotgun.

"Adam!" fake Kate cried out.

"Adam, that is not your mother," Amy repeated.

"Shoot it!" Sam yelled.

"He's crazy!" 'Kate' cried out frantically. "Honey, it's me!"

"No, it's not!" Amy said.

Adam pointed the gun at 'Kate,' then at Sam, and finally at Amy. He looked confused and terrified.

Adam aimed the gun back at his 'mother.' "Honey, it's me!" it shouted.

"Look, that's not your mother!" Sam yelled.

"Adam, shoot it! We don't have all day!" Amy insisted.

"Baby, please!" 'Kate' cried.

"Shoot it!" Sam ordered. "It's not human!"

Adam pointed the gun at 'Kate.' Amy saw his shoulders relax before he spoke.

"I know."

She only had a moment of confusion before 'Adam' hit Sam on the chin with the end of the shotgun. 'Kate' smiled as Adam spun around and swung the gun at Amy. Amy ducked out of the way and used her powers to throw 'Adam' across the room. He crashed through one of the kitchen chairs, splintering the wood.

As 'Adam was getting up, 'Kate' lunged at Amy, punching her in the nose. Amy stumbled backward, her eyes watering. She straightened back up and aimed her gun at fake Kate's head, pulling the trigger.

A shot rang out and the body dropped to the ground, head blown clean off.

"You're ghouls," Amy realized.

Ghoul Adam suddenly came up behind her, pinning her to the wall by her arms, causing her to drop her shotgun. 'Adam' kicked the shotgun away and Amy kneed him in the stomach over and over, to no avail. She tried to use her powers on the shotgun, but the ghoul swung a punch at her head, causing her to break her concentration and shift her head out of the way.

The ghouls punched a hole in the wall behind her, and Amy took the chance to duck out of its grasp. She dove towards the gun and aimed it at the ghoul's head, firing a shot just as it pulled its hand out of the wall.

Blood splattered on the wall behind the ghoul as its head was blown off. Amy fell back, breathing heavily as the corpse slumped down the wall to the ground. Sam stirred on the kitchen floor across the room and she hurried over to him.

"Sam?" Amy asked frantically, shaking the other hunter.

The back door suddenly opened up and Dean appeared. He spotted Sam on the ground and ran over. "What happened?" he demanded.

"Adam and Kate," Amy explained. "They were ghouls."

Dean looked over to see the headless bodies of both ghouls. "You took down both of them by yourself?"

Amy looked down at Sam, who was slowly waking up. "Not like I had much of a choice," she said.

Dean shook his brother. "Sammy?"

"Sam, wake up," Amy said, shaking Sam as well.

Sam groaned and his eyes opened up. He quickly sat up and looked around the room. "What happened?" he asked.

"They were ghouls," Amy repeated. "Don't worry, I took care of them."

Dean put a hand on his brother's shoulder. "You okay?"

Sam nodded. "I think so." He looked over at the bodies. "Nice work," he praised.

The hunters all stood up. Dean looked over at the body of ghoul Adam. He seemed to be hesitating to say something.

"We should burn the body," he said finally.

Sam looked confused. "What?"

"Ghoul or not, the real Adam was our brother," Dean said. "He deserves a proper burial."

Sam hesitated a moment, before nodding. "Okay." He left the room, returning a minute later with a sheet. Sam wrapped the body up in the sheet and picked it up, following Dean out of the house.

Amy picked Sam's shotgun up from the ground and followed them outside. Dean grabbed axes and lighter fluid from the trunk and led them to the back of the house and into the forest. Sam set the body down near a tree and they got to work chopping wood for the pyre.

Within twenty minutes, they had the pyre built. Sam lay the body on top of it. "You sure we should do this?" he asked.

Dean unscrewed the cap from the lighter fluid. "Ghouls didn't fake those pictures. They didn't fake Dad's journal." He poured the lighter fluid on the corpse. "Adam was our brother. He died like a hunter. He deserves to go out like one."

"I'm sorry, guys," Amy said.

"Maybe we can bring him back," Sam suggested. "Get ahold of Cas, call in a favor."

Dean seemed to ponder the idea for a moment, before shaking his head. "No, Adam's in a better place." He lit a match and tossed it on the fire. The body went up in flames.

They watched the pyre and Adam's body burn for a moment before Dean spoke again. "You know, I finally get why you and Dad butted heads so much," he said. "You two were practically the same person."

Sam looked over at his brother in confusion.

"I mean, I worshipped the guy, you know?" Dean continued. "I dressed like him, I acted like him, I listen to the same music. But you were more like him than I will ever be. And I see that now."

Sam scoffed. "I'll take that as a compliment."

"You take it any way you want," Dean said.

No one spoke as they watched the flames dance on the pyre, lighting up the forest behind them. The smell of burning flesh wafted through the air as the flames slowly started to die down.

* * *

**April 17th, 2009**

By the time the fire had completely died down and all that remained were ashes, the sun had started to rise. The hunters gathered everything up and headed back to the Impala, tossing everything in the trunk. Dean slammed the trunk closed and pulled the keys out of his pocket.

"Let's get out of here," he said.

Without a word, everyone climbed into the car.

"Amy, wait," Sam stopped her as she opened the back door.

Amy turned around. "Yeah?"

"Take shotgun," Sam told her. "I'm gonna sleep in the back."

Amy nodded as she walked around the front of the car to the passenger side. She opened the door and slid in next to Dean. "Where are we off to now?" she asked.

"I might have found us another case," Dean informed them as he started the engine. "Bodies found with their hearts missing in Appalokia, Kentucky."

"Sounds like a werewolf," Sam said.

"Bingo," Dean confirmed. He looked over at Amy. "You haven't hunted a werewolf yet, have you?"

Amy shook her head. "Not yet I haven't."

Dean seemed to ponder something for a moment. He looked over at her as he pulled away from the house. "Maybe it's time you did."


	27. Heartbreaker

**April 17th, 2009 - Appaloki, Kentucky**

It was a fifteen-hour drive to Appaloki. About seven hours into the trip, Dean stopped at a gas station, and Sam switched seats with Amy, giving her a chance to sleep in the back. She was feeling a bit more tired than usual lately.

They reached Evermore motel sometime after nightfall. Amy was shaken awake by Sam as Dean pulled into the parking lot. Sweat soaked hair stuck to her face as she sat up. "We here already?" she muttered groggily.

"What do you mean, already?" Dean asked. "We've been driving almost a full day."

"Oh," Amy muttered. She slid out of the Impala, walking around to the trunk to grab her bag.

"Hey, are you feeling alright?" Dean asked. "You look pretty pale." He put a hand on her forehead. "You're not getting sick, are you?"

Amy mustered a laugh as she pushed Dean's hand away. "I think I'm probably just a little tired, still."

Dean frowned. "No, you're not." He put the back of his hand back on her forehead. "You're burning up. Did you start feeling sick earlier?"

"Um-" Amy blinked, trying to remember where they had been when she had started feeling off. "I think, maybe, a few hours or so after we left Adam's place. Somewhere in..." she trailed off, unable to remember the name of the city they had been in.

"Greenwood?" Dean guessed.

Amy shook her head. "I think it was later than that. Sometime after I switched seats with Sam."

Sam came out of the office, having checked them into their room, and Dean waved him over.

"Okay. If you start to feel any worse, let us know, okay?"

Amy nodded and leaned on the trunk of the car.

"Everything okay?" Sam asked as he approached.

"I think Amy's got a fever," Dean said.

"Shit," Sam muttered. He handed Dean the key. "Our room is on the second floor. Wanna take her up there, and I'll bring the bags up?"

Dean nodded. He put his bag on the trunk next to Amy's and turned to the girl. "Come on, Ames. Let's get you inside."

Dean picked Amy up bridal style and walked her up the stairs to their room. He unlocked the door and headed inside, leaving the door slightly open for Sam.

"Which bed do you want?" Dean asked.

"Doesn't matter," Amy replied. "I'll take either one."

Dean set her down on the bed closest to the door. "I'll get you a wet washcloth to cool you down." He headed into the bathroom, returning a moment later with a damp washcloth. He placed it over Amy's forehead as Sam entered the room with all their bags.

"Hey," Sam said quietly, "Amy, how are you feeling?"

"Like death," Amy groaned. "Can we turn out that lamp? I think I'm getting a headache."

"Sure thing." Dean turned out the lamp by the bed, leaving the floor lamp next to the TV and the bathroom light on. "Get some rest, okay? Maybe you'll get a chance to fight your first werewolf some other time, but it looks like me and Sammy will have to take care of it alone this time around."

Amy wanted to protest, but she knew there was no point. In truth, she had started feeling worse once she had gotten out of the Impala. As much as she hated it, there was no way she would have been able to do any fighting, much less with a werewolf, until she was feeling better.

"I'll go get some ice," Sam offered. "A cold glass of water might help a bit."

"Okay, yeah," Dean agreed. Sam grabbed the ice bucket and headed out of the room.

Dean turned back to Amy. "Get some rest, okay?" he repeated.

Amy rolled over onto her side. "Okay," she muttered. She closed her eyes, trying to fall asleep.

Sam reentered the room with the ice. He grabbed a glass and poured Amy some ice-water, setting it down on the nightstand next to her. "Hopefully, that'll help a bit."

"Come on," Dean walked over to the table and sat down. "Let's let her sleep. What have we got on our case?"

Sam walked over and sat down next to Dean. Amy heard him pull out his laptop and set it on the table. "Last week a local farmer reported that several of his cows had been torn open and the hearts had been taken, and then a few days ago..." that was the last thing Amy heard as she drifted off into sleep.

* * *

**April 18th, 2009**

By early evening the next day, Amy was feeling slightly better. Not well enough to go out on a hunt, but at least well enough to be out of bed and walk around.

"So, what did I miss last night?" she asked as she sat down at the table with Sam and Dean.

"I don't know if you heard us talking," Dean began, "but a week ago, a farmer-"

"Reported that some of his cattle had been torn open and the hearts had been missing," Amy finished. "I heard that part, but I fell asleep after that."

Sam nodded. "Okay, well, a few days ago, some bodies were found in the woods, and they also had their hearts ripped out of their chests."

Amy leaned back in her chair. "Okay, so definitely a werewolf."

Dean nodded in confirmation. "While you were sleeping this morning, we went to talk to the farmer who made the first report. We didn't get much out of him, but we did talk to the witness who found the bodies."

"And?"

Sam cleared his throat. "And, one of them, a Mrs. Smith, admitted she had seen her neighbor come home the night before. Bloody."

"And she didn't report that?" Amy questioned.

"She said she did, but the police didn't believe her," Sam explained.

Amy stared in disbelief. "They didn't believe that she had seen someone covered in blood?"

"They thought she had been seeing things," Dean explained. "Freaking out so much that her eyes were playing tricks on her."

Amy crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow. "Okay," she said, not knowing what else to add to that.

"We were gonna go stake this guy out, but we wanted to wait and see if you were feeling well enough to go with us."

"As long as I don't have to do any fighting right now, I should be fine," Amy said decisively.

"Alright, good," Sam said. "We'll head out in a little bit. I'm sure you're probably hungry, right? You haven't eaten all day."

Amy nodded. "Yeah, actually, I am a bit hungry," she admitted.

"There's a diner a few blocks from here," Dean recalled. "You guys wanna head down there?"

Sam put his laptop away. "I could eat."

Amy's stomach growled in agreement. "Ditto," she said.

Dean grabbed the Impala keys. "Let's go, then."

Amy grabbed her jacket and followed Sam and Dean out to the car. She climbed into the backseat, and Dean pulled out of the parking lot.

* * *

A few minutes later, Dean pulled the Impala into the parking lot of the Lonesome Dove Diner. They headed inside and sat down at a booth in the corner. Amy took a seat next to the window, in front of a potted plant, while Sam and Dean sat across from her.

A waitress walked over to them, carrying three menus. She had on a nametag that read 'Bree' on it. "Welcome to the Lonesome Dove," she greeted. Bree set the menus down. "Can I get you guys started with something to drink?"

"Just water for me, thanks," Sam ordered.

"Could I get a coke?" Amy asked.

"Is Pepsi okay?"

Amy nodded. "Yeah, that's fine."

"Okay," the waitress said, "and for you sir?"

"I'll take a beer."

"I'm sorry, we actually don't serve any alcoholic drinks here," Bree apologized.

Dean frowned. "Nothing for me, then" he decided.

The waitress smiled. "I'll have those right out for you." She turned and walked into the kitchen.

Amy picked up her menu. "I wonder if they have all-day breakfast here."

"Breakfast for dinner, huh?" Dean asked with a smile.

Amy shrugged. "I'm kinda in the mood for some french toast right now."

Sam and Dean exchanged a look.

"That doesn't actually sound like a bad idea," Sam pointed out.

"Yeah," Dean agreed. "I could go for some pancakes and sausage."

Amy spotted a note at the bottom of her menu, written in tiny letters. "All-day breakfast served here," she read aloud. She set down the menu and smiled. "French toast, it is."

"Breakfast for dinner, then?" Dean asked.

"Uh, yeah," Sam agreed. "Sounds good."

Their waitress walked back over with their drinks. She set them down in the middle of the table. "Are you guys ready to order yet?"

"Uh, yeah, I think so." Sam looked around at Amy and Dean, who both nodded in confirmation.

"Alright." Bree took her order pad and a pen out. "What can I get started for you guys?"

"I'll have the omelet," Sam said.

"Okay." The waitress scribbled the order down. "And for you?"

"Could I get the pancakes?" Dean asked. "Extra bacon on the side?"

"Sure thing." The waitress looked over at Amy last. "And for you, dear?"

"French toast, please!" Amy held her menu up for the waitress to take.

The waitress finished writing down their orders and took their menus. "I'll have your meals out for you in a bit." She left the table, heading back into the kitchen.

* * *

By the time they finished eating, the sun was low in the sky. Sam paid for their meal and they headed back out to the Impala.

"So, how are you feeling?" Dean asked as they climbed into the car. "Feeling well enough to go with us, or do you want to go back to the motel?"

Amy thought for a moment. She knew she still had a fever, but she was feeling a lot better than she had been the night before. "I can go with you guys," she decided.

Dean gave her a small nod. He started the engine and pulled out of the parking lot.

* * *

They reached a neighborhood about thirty minutes later, just as it got dark out. Dean parked the Impala across the street from a yellow, two-story house and turned off the engine.

"Remind me again what exactly it is we're looking for," Amy spoke.

"We think this guy might be our werewolf, but we're not completely sure," Dean explained. "So we're gonna follow him around for a bit until he confirms or denies our suspicions." He pulled three pairs of binoculars out of the glove compartment, giving one to Sam and Amy, and keeping the last one for himself.

"So, just look for anything...wolfy?"

Dean clicked his tongue. "Bingo."

Amy put her binoculars to her eyes and looked out through the car window. Inside the kitchen of the house across the street, a man was looking through the fridge. He pulled out various meats and vegetables and started chopping them up.

"Well, that just looks like he's making dinner." Amy lowered her binoculars. "Are we sure that lady really wasn't seeing things?"

Sam sighed as he lowered his binoculars as well. "I mean, I guess it's possible. Maybe we're staking out the wrong guy."

Dean shook his head. His binoculars were still against his eyes, watching the man in the house. "I don't think so. Check this out."

Amy put her binoculars back up to her eyes. Inside the kitchen, a woman had joined the man. She picked up a piece of uncooked steak and tossed it into her mouth as if it was a piece of popcorn. "You know," she said, "if I didn't know about the missing hearts, I'd think we were dealing with a Rougarou."

"So, what, we-we're dealing with a family of werewolves here?" Sam asked.

Dean shrugged. "I guess it's possible. Mr. and Mrs. Werewolf."

Amy's gaze caught something upstairs and she followed it, frowning at what she saw. "Mr. and Mrs. Werewolf," she pointed up to the second floor, "and baby."

Sam and Dean followed her finger to see a nursery visible through the open curtains upstairs.

"Crap," Sam whispered.

"Whoa, hey guys," Dean got their attention back, "looks like dad werewolf is on the move."

Sure enough, the front door had opened across the street. The man walked outside and climbed inside a blue Cadillac. He drove down the driveway and headed down the street. Dean started the engine and drove after the car, keeping a safe distance between them.

* * *

They followed the car to a nearby farm. The man got out and looked around, before opening the trunk. Inside, there was an assortment of axes, saws, tarps, and other tools. He grabbed an ax and walked towards a large cow pasture.

"Why would a werewolf need all that stuff?" Amy wondered aloud.

"Well, I'm not waiting around to find out." Dean pulled out his gun and checked the chamber. "Let's go."

Amy checked her gun as well, before following Sam and Dean out of the car. The man was still closeby, standing near one of the cows with the ax raised in the air. He seemed to be hesitating as he held the weapon up. Sam and Amy aimed their guns as Dean grabbed the ax from the man's hands and tossed it to the side.

The man quickly spun around in a panic and put his hands in the air. "Wait, please," he pleaded, his voice shaking. Genuine looking fear was plastered on his face. "It's not what it looks like."

Dean scoffed. "Oh, really? 'Cause to me, it looks like-"

"Like I'm a werewolf and I'm killing cows to eat their hearts?" the man finished.

"What?" Amy asked, more confused than she had ever been in her life. She looked up at Sam, wondering if he had any clue about what was going on. The look on his face told her that he was just as confused as she was.

Dean was taken aback as well. "Well, I, uh," he stuttered, "I'm sorry what?"

"Listen," the man said. He held out an arm. "You can test me if you want. Silver, right?"

Dean hesitated a moment, before lowering his gun. Sam and Amy kept their guns trained on the man as Dean approached. He roughly grabbed the man's arm and pulled a silver knife from his jacket and made a small cut on the man's arm, just above the elbow. A small trickle of blood appeared, but nothing else. The man wasn't a werewolf.

Dean put his gun away. "Alright, why don't you tell us who you are, okay?"

The man nodded. "Ethan. Ethan Campos."

"Are you a hunter, Ethan?" Sam asked as he put his gun away as well.

Amy followed suit. "And, if you are, what the hell are you doing taking cows' hearts?"

"I, uh, I," Ethan stuttered. He seemed hesitant to answer. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Dude, you're a terrible liar," Amy said.

Realization flashed across Dean's face. "You're protecting someone."

Ethan brought his gaze to the ground but didn't respond. That was all Sam, Dean, or Amy needed to know to confirm what Dean had said.

"Who are you protecting?" Sam asked.

Amy thought back to the house. Ethan, the woman eating the uncooked meat, and the nursery on the second floor. "Your wife," she realized. "Your wife is a werewolf."

"What?" Sam asked in disbelief.

Ethan glanced back up at them. Tears were welling up in his eyes. He nodded in confirmation. "Yes," he admitted.

Amy couldn't believe what she had just heard. "Oh, my god," she whispered breathlessly.

"Why the hell are you protecting her?" Dean demanded.

"Because I love her!" Ethan snapped. "We've been together for thirteen years, since high school. We got married two years ago and _swore_ that we'd never leave each other, till death do us part."

"Your wife is a monster!" Dean argued.

"How long ago was she bit?" Amy asked, a bit more softly than Dean.

Ethan seemed hesitant to answer.

"How long?" Sam repeated.

"A week after we were married," Ethan admitted.

It took a moment for what Ethan had said to set in. "Your baby," Amy realized. "They were born after your wife was bitten."

Ethan nodded. "Eight months ago. Twins."

Dean stared at the man in disbelief. "You had twins with a werewolf?"

"Yes," Ethan said quietly.

"How would that even work?" Amy wondered aloud.

Dean spun around. "Amy!" he snapped.

"No, I'm dead serious," Amy said. "I mean, a werewolf is someone who turns into a wolf during the full moon, right? So, what your kids are three-fourths human, one-fourth werewolf?"

"They don't transform during a full moon like my wife does," Ethan explained, "they only need to eat raw meat. And they can't turn someone by biting them. Believe me, they love to bite."

Dean smiled. "Oh, well, that's nice," he said sarcastically. His grin turned to a scowl. "But it doesn't change the fact that your wife killed a couple of kids during the last full moon!"

Visible confusion flashed across Ethan's face. "What?" He shook his head frantically. "No, that's impossible. She's gone two years without killing anyone. She always insists that I chain her up every full moon so that she doesn't kill anyone."

"Yeah, well, it seems last week she managed to get out," Dean said.

"No, she wouldn't have," Ethan insisted. "Sh-she-" he stopped talking. Fear flashed across his face as he turned and took a few steps forward. "Oh, god." He turned back to face them. "Do you really think she did?"

"It's possible," Sam admitted. "The bodies were found with their hearts missing just after the full moon."

Ethan fell to his knees and put his face in his hands. "How could she do this?" he sobbed. "She promised."

"Hey, hey," Sam said. He walked over to Ethan and knelt down beside him. "We don't know for sure that it was her."

"Maybe there's another werewolf in town," Amy suggested hopefully.

Sam nodded. "Yeah. Like I said, we don't know for sure that it was her."

"But if it was-" Dean pulled his pistol back out, "silver bullet."

"Dean, you are not helping!" Amy snapped. She turned back to Ethan and knelt down next to Sam. "Okay, Ethan, listen. We don't know for sure that your wife killed those people. How long have you guys lived in this town?"

"Since we were married."

"And in that time, in two years, nothing like this has ever happened, right?"

Ethan nodded.

"So, maybe there's just another werewolf in town," Amy suggested. "A new one even, that's doing the killings."

"It's possible," Sam agreed.

"Let me talk to her," Ethan pleaded. "Please."

Dean let out a heavy sigh. "Fine. But we're coming with you. If your wife did kill those people, then I'm sorry but..."

Amy rolled her eyes. "Not...helping, Dean."

Ethan nodded. "Okay." He slowly stood back up. "You guys can follow me to my house. I'll talk to my wife. But please don't kill her," he begged.

"We won't if she doesn't give us a reason to," Sam told him.

Ethan picked the ax back up and walked past the hunters. They followed him back to the cars, where Ethan stuck his ax back in the trunk.

"My house is a few miles from here," Ethan told them. "You can follow me there."

Dean nodded. "Lead the way."

Everyone got into their cars. Ethan pulled onto the main road and started driving away. Dean started the engine to the Impala and began to follow.

* * *

The ride to Ethan's house was silent. Dean pulled the Impala into the driveway of the yellow two-story house and they got out.

Ethan was waiting for them next to his car. "My wife's inside," he told them. "Come on."

The hunters followed Ethan to his front door. He unlocked it and led them inside.

"Honey?" Ethan called out. "I'm home."

Footsteps could be heard and a moment later a woman appeared. She was slightly shorter than Ethan, had a slender figure, eyes that were almost as green as Dean's, and a head of curly red hair. She placed a kiss on Ethan's cheek, before noticing the other people standing by the door.

"Ethan?" she asked. "Who are these people?" She sniffed. "Hunters," she realized. "You brought hunters into our home!?"

"Abigail, please just-"

"How could you?" Abigail asked. "Do you know what they do to people like me?" She gasped. "You didn't tell them about me, did you?"

"They caught me in the cow pasture," Ethan explained. "They thought I was the werewolf at first, but they figured out on their own that it was you." He frowned, turning to the hunters. "How did you know I had a wife and kids in the first place."

"Your neighbor saw you come home bloody the other night," Sam explained.

Abigail frowned. "Edith always was a little nosy," she scowled. "But I didn't have anything to do with those killings, I swear!"

"And why should we believe you?" Dean asked.

"The room I have Ethan chain me up in, there's a camera in there and an alarm on the door. It's to make sure I don't get out and hurt anyone."

The hunters exchanged a glance.

"Can we see?" Sam asked.

Ethan nodded. "This way." Abigail stayed upstairs while he led them down a hallway and through a door leading to the basement.

On the other side of the basement, there was a metal door. The hinges were still intact, indicating that nothing had broken the door down recently. Amy peered through the small window. The walls were bare, except for a set of chains against the opposite wall. Directly above them, there was a single camera with a blinking red light facing the door.

"I hate having to do this every month," Ethan said, drawing Amy's attention away from the door, "but she insists. Abigail's so afraid she's going to hurt someone. She's even afraid she'll hurt me or the twins." he let out a shaky sigh. "Hearing her down here every full moon tears me apart, but I can't leave her."

"Do you have the footage from the camera?" Sam asked.

Ethan nodded. "It's all saved to my laptop."

"Do you mind if I take a look at it?"

Ethan nodded. "It's just upstairs."

They followed Ethan out of the basement. He led them back down the hall and into the kitchen, where Abigail was busy preparing something.

Ethan sat down at the counter and opened his laptop. He opened up a folder labeled 'April 8th-10th, 2009.' Inside the file were three videos, one for each night of the full moon. He pointed to the screen and turned back to the hunters. "These videos are from the full moon last week," he explained. "The camera records twenty-four seven. If Abigail got out, it would show on here." He stood up from the chair and stepped away, allowing the hunters to see the screen.

The hunters gathered around the laptop. Sam clicked on the first video and started scrubbing through it. It had been sped up a bit so that it wasn't an eleven-hour video, but it clearly showed Abigail in the room all night long. The second and third videos showed the same things.

Sam closed the final video. "Well, guess that proves it then. Looks like it wasn't Abigail that did those killings."

"Well, I could have told you that," Abigail said.

"But then who did do it?" Amy asked. She looked up at Abigail. "Do you have any idea? I mean, is there another werewolf in this town?"

Abigail shook her head. "Not that I know of unless the werewolf that bit me is still in town. But if he was, why would these killings be happening now?"

"Unless he left town for a while but recently came back," Ethan suggested.

"Wait, he left town?" Dean asked.

Abigail nodded. "He left not long after biting me."

Dean crossed his arms. "So it's possible he's back, then."

Abigail nodded.

"What does he look like?" Amy asked.

"Tall, dark hair, tattoos on both sides of his face," Abigail recalled.

Sam leaned back and let out a heavy sigh. "Any idea as to where he might be?"

Abigail thought for a moment. "I know he prefers dark, damp places far away from people," she finally said. "There's an abandoned warehouse not far from here." She pointed in a random direction. "About twenty minutes that way."

"We could show you where it is," Ethan offered.

Dean shook his head. "No, no, we can find it. But, uh," he seemed hesitant to say something, "thank you, both of you, for your help."

Abigail smiled. "Just kill the son of a bitch for me."

Amy laughed. "Now that, we can do."

Ethan led them out of the house, closing the door behind them. The hunters watched the door close, before turning and walking down towards the Impala.

"So what do you think?" Sam asked. "Should we check out the warehouse?"

"I say so," Dean agreed. They climbed into the car and he started the engine. "It's not too far from here."

"I'm glad you didn't kill her," Amy admitted. "Despite her being a werewolf."

Dean stared ahead at the road, unanswering. "I couldn't seem to bring myself to," he admitted. "Werewolf or not she has a method that seems to work. One that stops her from killing innocent people every month. She's got a husband that looks out for her and twins." He paused. "Werewolf or not, she wasn't behind any of those killings."

Amy smiled as she leaned back in her seat.

* * *

Twenty minutes later, Dean turned onto a dirt road. At the end of the road was the abandoned warehouse, which had definitely seen better days. Many windows were broken or boarded up and the roof had several holes in it.

They climbed out of the Impala and circled around to the trunk. Dean opened it up, propping open the weapons box with a shotgun. He pulled out a small box filled with silver bullets. "You guys got enough bullets?"

Sam grabbed his pistol and checked the chamber. "I'm good," Sam said.

Amy did the same. "I've only got three bullets," she counted. "Is that gonna be enough?"

Dean handed her a few more silver bullets. "Just in case." He handed them each a silver stake as well.

"Amy, I don't think I have to tell you just how dangerous a werewolf is," Dean reminded her. "I know you've been with us for a while, but I don't think you've encountered anything like this yet. Stay close, okay?"

Amy nodded. "Okay."

They started making their way to the building. One of the doors had been torn off, giving them easy access inside.

The inside of the warehouse was damp and musty. Everything seemed to be covered in several layers of dust and broken pieces of the roof lay scattered across the floor.

"Doesn't look like there are many places to hide," Amy noticed. "Are we sure he's in here?"

"Just because you can't see him doesn't mean he's not here," Sam replied. He walked forward, holding his gun up in front of him as he crept across the moss and algae-covered floor.

Amy followed Sam and Dean around the building. She could barely see anything with so little sunlight coming inside but kept her gun at the ready in case they were attacked.

Dean pushed a piece of fallen rubble out of the way and they moved further into the darkness. Amy heard the snap of a twig behind her and spun around just in time to be thrown to the ground and drop her gun.

Amy struggled against her attacker as he bared his sharp teeth. She saw Dean raise his gun and the next second, a shot rang out. The werewolf fell limp, dead, and she pushed him off and struggled to her feet. A pool of blood began to form near its head where Dean had fired the silver bullet.

Sam helped Amy to her feet. "You okay?"

Amy nodded. "Yeah, I'm okay." She looked down at her attacker. Tall, dark hair, and tattoos on both sides of his face. This was definitely the werewolf that Abigail had told them about.

Dean handed Amy back her gun. "He didn't scratch you, did he?"

"I don't think he got a chance to." Amy let out a slightly amused laugh. "You know, I'll be honest, I think I was expecting a little more action for my first werewolf hunt."

Sam laughed in agreement. "Yeah, well, normally there's more than one."

"Sorry your first werewolf hunt was so dull," Dean added.

"Eh, it's okay," Amy assured them. "It's not like it'll be my only one."

Dean nodded in agreement. "We should get out of here," he said

The hunters gathered their weapons and headed out of the warehouse. The Impala was waiting for them exactly where they had left it. Dean opened the weapons box in the trunk and they put their guns and silver stakes back in. They climbed back into the Impala and Dean started up the engine and started driving back down the dirt road.

* * *

It was a short drive back to the motel. Dean led them back up to the room and unlocked the door, letting them in.

"Pack your crap," he said. "We're getting out of here."

"Now?" Amy asked.

"Yes, now."

Amy looked over at Sam, who shrugged. She sighed, before tossing her bag on the bed and packing her stuff into it.

Once they were all packed up, they headed back out to the Impala. They tossed their bags in the trunk, before climbing back in.

Amy leaned forward between the seats, an idea rattling around in her head. "Hey, uh..." she trailed off.

Dean looked at her through the rear-view mirror. "What's up?"

"I was thinking, Abigail told us to kill the werewolf for her. Maybe we should stop by and let her know we did."

Sam and Dean exchanged a look.

"Yeah, I suppose we can stop by," Dean agreed. He started up the engine and pulled out of the parking lot.

* * *

They reached Ethan and Abigail's house a half-hour later. They walked up to the front door and rang the doorbell. A minute later, the door opened and Ethan appeared, he was holding a baby girl in his arms. Amy smiled when she saw the baby, giving her a small wave.

"What are you guys doing here?" he asked.

"We were heading out of town and wanted to let you know that we found the werewolf who was doing the killings," Sam explained.

A smile appeared on Ethan's face. "You did?" He turned back inside the house. "Hey, honey, come out here real quick!" he called out.

The door opened wider and Abigail appeared in the doorway, holding the other twin, a boy, in her arms. "Is everything okay?" she asked when she saw who was at the door.

"They killed the werewolf that bit you," Ethan explained.

Abigail turned back to the hunters and smiled. "Oh, thank you!"

"It was no problem," Dean said. "But now he's gone so these killings should stop."

"We can't think you guys enough," Ethan said. He looked over at Amy, who was still cooing at the baby in his arms. "Looks like she likes you," he noticed.

Amy straightened back up. "She's adorable," she said with a smile. "What's her name?"

"Allison." Ethan reached a hand over to the other baby, tickling him on his stomach. "And this little one is Henry."

Amy waved at the other baby. "Hi, Henry," she said. Henry cooed back at her.

Dean cleared his throat. "We'll get out of your guys' way now," he said.

Abigail handed Henry over to Ethan and pulled Dean into a hug. Sam and Amy both let out an amused laugh at Dean's uncomfortable look from being hugged by a werewolf.

Dean laughed nervously. "Okay," he said.

Abigail released Dean from the hug. "Thank you guys again," she said.

"If you guys ever find yourselves in town again, feel free to stop by," Ethan offered.

Sam and Dean nodded, before turning and walking back down towards the Impala.

Amy smiled back down to the twins in Ethan's arms. "Bye, Allison. Bye, Henry," she said, giving the babies a small wave. She straightened back up. "It was nice meeting you guys." She turned and hurried back down to the Impala, climbing into the backseat.

"Ready to go?" Dean asked.

Amy nodded. "Yeah."

Dean pulled away from the house.

Amy watched it disappear through the window. Once it was gone, she leaned back in her seat. "Werewolf wife and kids or not, that was a pretty nice family."

Sam and Dean exchanged another look. Finally, Dean smiled.

"Yeah, they were," he agreed.

"I'm glad you didn't go all Dean on us and kill Abigail just because she's a werewolf," Amy added.

"Go all Dean on us?" Sam repeated.

Amy shrugged. "You know, kill first, ask questions later," she clarified.

Dean shrugged. "Well like you said, werewolf or not, she didn't kill anyone."

Amy smiled. "Where are we heading to now?" she asked, deciding to change the subject.

"Not sure," Sam said. "We haven't found any other cases yet."

"You feeling better by the way?" Dean asked, looking at her through the rear-view mirror. "You seem better."

"I feel better," Amy confirmed. "I definitely think my fever is gone, at least."

"Good." Dean turned his attention back to the road and Amy leaned against the cold window, watching the trees and cars pass by as Dean drove them out of town.


	28. The Rapture

**May 6th, 2009 - Grass Range, Montana**

"Amy. Hey, wake up."

Amy groaned as she opened her eyes. Sam was still asleep in the other bed and through the curtains, she could see the moonlight shining into the room.

She rolled over to face Dean. "What?" she growled.

"We gotta go," Dean explained. "Cas came to me in a dream, said we needed to meet him at an address a few miles from here."

At the sound of the angel's name, Amy sat up. "Cas? What did he say?"

Dean made his way over to the other bed. "He didn't say anything. Just to meet him at this address he gave me."

Amy rolled out of her bed as Dean slapped his brother on the bottom of his feet. "Get up," he said.

Sam rolled over. "What's up?" he asked groggily.

"Angel business, let's go," Dean explained.

Sam propped himself up on his arm and rubbed his face. "Yep. Okay." He sat up. "Oh, god," he groaned.

Still in her pajamas, Amy started to follow Dean out the door.

Dean turned to Sam, who was still sitting in his bed. "What are you hungover, or something? Come on." He led Amy out the door and towards the Impala.

A moment later, Sam followed them out. He climbed into the passenger side with Dean and they headed towards the spot Cas had wanted to meet Dean.

* * *

It was a short, ten-minute drive to the address Cas had given Dean. They ended up at a warehouse. Amy checked to make sure she had bullets in her gun, just in case, before grabbing a flashlight and following the Winchesters' inside the building.

"Well, what did he say, Dean?" Sam asked as they walked through the warehouse. "What was so important?"

Dean pushed open a door and they walked through. "If I knew, would I be here?"

They walked up a set of stairs and into another room. Amy nearly collided with Dean as he stopped in his tracks. "What the hell?"

Amy squeezed past the other hunter to see what was in the room. The metal rafters had collapsed and twisted on the ground. Sparks flew out from exposed wires every couple of seconds.

"It looks like a bomb went off," Sam noticed.

"There was a fight here," Dean agreed.

Sam shined his light around. "Between who?"

"Angels, maybe?" Amy guessed.

Dean's flashlight landed on something on the wall. "Check it out. Look familiar?"

"Yeah, it does," Sam said.

Amy moved forward to get a closer look. Painted on the wall in blood was the angel-banishing sigil Anna had used once. "It's the angel-banishing sigil," she told them.

"Anna used something like that to wish the angels back to the cornfield," Dean recalled. He shined his light around the room. "Sam, Amy," he suddenly said.

Amy followed the beam of light to see Cas lying unconscious in the rubble. She hurried over with Sam and Dean.

"Cas?" Dean asked, shaking the angel's shoulder. "Cas. Hey, Cas?"

Cas suddenly opened his eyes. "What's . . . ?" he asked. Amy frowned. His voice sounded higher pitched than normal. "What's . . . ? What's going on?"

Dean helped him sit up. "Just take it easy. Take it easy."

The man that looked like Cas quickly stood up, looking wildly around. "Oh. No." He stood up, looking wildly around.

"Cas, you okay?" Sam asked.

The man groaned as he continued looking around. "Ugh. Castiel. I'm not Castiel." He turned to Sam. "It's me."

Sam looked at the man, hoping for some clarification. "Who's 'me'?"

"Jimmy, right?" Amy asked. "Jimmy Novak?"

Jimmy nodded. "Yeah, that's right."

"Where the hell is Castiel?" Dean asked.

Jimmy turned to Dean. "He's gone."

"Gone?" Dean asked.

"I don't know where he went," Jimmy said.

"We should get him back to the motel," Sam said.

Dean nodded in agreement. He and Sam helped Jimmy to his feet. They hurried out to the Impala, putting Jimmy in the back with Amy.

* * *

Dean stopped at a drive-thru on the way home and bought a hamburger under Jimmy's request. They led Jimmy inside the motel room, where he immediately threw off his trench coat and sat down at the table, pulling out his meal. The hunters sat around the table with him, watching as he ate.

"You mind slowing down?" Dean asked as he watched Jimmy eat. "You're gonna give me angina."

"I'm hungry," Jimmy said defensively. He took a sip of his drink.

"When's the last time you ate?" Sam asked.

Jimmy shook his head. "I don't know. Months." He shoved the last bite of burger into his mouth and opened another one.

"Since Cas possessed you, right?" Amy asked.

Jimmy shrugged again. "Yeah, probably."

"What the hell happened back there?" Sam asked. "It looked like an angel battle royale."

"All I remember is a flash of light and I... I woke up and I was just, you know, like, me again."

"So, what? Cas just ditched out of your meat suit?" Dean asked.

"I really don't know," Jimmy admitted.

"You remember anything about being possessed?" Sam asked. "Anything at all?"

Jimmy nodded. "Yeah, bits and pieces. I mean, angel inside of you, it's kinda like being chained to a comet."

"Ah, that doesn't sound like much fun," Dean noted.

Jimmy nodded in agreement. "Understatement."

"Cas said he wanted to tell us something," Sam said. "Please tell me you remember that."

Jimmy shook his head. "Sorry."

Amy sighed as she leaned back in her chair and folded her arms. "Great."

Dean sighed. "Come on, what do you know?" he asked impatiently.

Jimmy's face fell as he thought about something. "My name is Jimmy Novak," he finally said. "I'm from Pontiac, Illinois." He looked up at Dean. "I have a family."

"Claire," Amy recalled. "Your daughter."

Jimmy nodded. "And my wife, Amelia."

Dean stood up from the table. "Sam, Amy, can I talk to you for a moment outside?"

Sam and Amy followed Dean outside.

"So, what do we do?" Sam asked.

"What do you mean?" Dean asked. "The guy's got a family. We buy him a bus ticket, send him home."

"That might not be the best idea," Amy argued.

"Besides, Dean, he's the only lead we got," Sam agreed.

"He doesn't know anything," Dean said.

"Are you a hundred percent about that?" Sam asked.

"You think he's lying?" Dean questioned. "What, you wanna go Guantanamo on the guy?"

"Dean, maybe he doesn't even know what he knows."

Dean looked at his brother in confusion. "Huh?"

"He is an angel vessel," Amy pointed out. "Demons might be after him."

"Amy's got a point, okay," Sam agreed. "This guy's probably got a target on his back. I say, at least we get him to Bobby's. Maybe all he needs is hypnosis or a psychic. Or hell, maybe Cas will just drop back into him."

Dean sighed. "I don't know, man."

"Dean, back there, that was angel-on-angel violence," Sam argued. "Now, I don't know what's going on, but it's big. And we can't just let the only lead we got just skip out."

Dean shook his head.

Sam let out a deep breath. "What?"

"You remember when our job was helping people? Like, getting them back to their families?" Dean asked.

"Getting him back to his family could put him and his family in danger, though," Amy said.

"Dean, if we want to question the guy, you can damn well bet the demons do, too," Sam snapped.

Dean sighed in defeat. He turned away and headed back inside the room. Sam and Amy followed.

Back inside the room, they found Jimmy waiting for them. "Thank you guys, again," he said as they entered the room. "But I think I should be getting home. I'm sure my family misses me."

Sam and Amy watched as Dean sighed and took a step forward. "Jimmy, we can't let you go home," he began.

Jimmy's smile turned to one of confusion. "The hell are you talking about, I can't go home?"

"There's a good chance you have a bullseye on your back," Dean continued.

"What? From who?" Jimmy asked.

"Demons."

Jimmy scoffed. "Come on, that's crazy. What do they want with me?"

Dean shrugged. "I don't know, information, maybe?"

"I don't know anything," Jimmy insisted.

"I know, but –"

Jimmy cut Dean off. "Look, I'm done, okay? With demons, angels, all of it. I just want to go home."

"We understand."

"I don't think that you do understand," Jimmy snapped. "I've been shot and stabbed and healed, and my body has been dragged all over the Earth. By some miracle, I'm out, and I am done. I've given enough, okay?"

Sam sighed and took a step forward. "Look, all we're saying is that until we figure this out, the safest place is with us," he said calmly.

Jimmy sighed. "How long?"

Sam hesitated for a moment. He shook his head. "We'll cross that bridge when we get to it."

Jimmy huffed and stormed past Dean. Sam stepped in front of him and grabbed his arm as he tried to walk out the door.

"Where are you going?" Dean asked.

Jimmy spun around. "To see my wife and daughter, okay?"

"You'll just be putting them in danger," Amy spoke up. "It's too risky."

Jimmy glared at her. "So, what, now I'm a prisoner?"

Sam sighed. "Harsh way to put it."

"We're just trying to keep you and your family safe, Jimmy," Amy said. "If a demon gets their hands on you, who knows what could happen? Trust me when I say you're safest here with us."

Jimmy looked down at the floor. After a moment, he nodded. "Fine."

Sam sighed in relief as he let go of Jimmy's arm. "Thank you," he said. He glanced at the clock. "Let's get some sleep. We can talk about this in the morning, okay?"

Jimmy nodded. He sat down on Amy's bed and kicked off his shoes, lying down across the bed.

"I'll take the first watch," Sam offered. "You guys get some sleep."

Dean turned to Amy. "Bed or couch?"

Amy nodded her head towards the bed. "I'll take the bed."

Dean nodded. "Okay." He lay down on the couch and closed his eyes.

Amy looked over at Jimmy, who was sound asleep under the covers. "It's so weird seeing Cas sleep," she whispered to Sam. "I mean, I know that isn't Cas, but still..." she trailed off.

Sam sat down at the table. "No, I know what you mean," he told her. "Go ahead and get some sleep, okay?"

Amy nodded. "Sure thing." She lay down in the other bed and closed her eyes as she tried to fall asleep.

* * *

**May 7th, 2009**

"Amy, wake up, now." Sam was frantically shaking her awake. "Jimmy's gone."

Amy sat up. "What do you mean Jimmy's gone?" she asked. She looked over at the clock. It was 4:40 in the morning.

"I mean he's gone," Sam snapped as he quickly packed his duffle bag. "He snuck out."

Amy got out of bed and grabbed her own duffle bag. "I thought you were watching him!" She began packing up as well.

"I was," Sam insured, "He-I went outside for a minute. I thought he was asleep." He turned to the bathroom. "Dean. Would you hurry up?" he yelled angrily.

Amy heard Dean laugh before emerging from the bathroom with a toothbrush in his mouth.

Sam glared at his brother. " Sorry, uh, this is funny to you?" he asked.

"Mr. Big-Bad-Prison-Guard, Jimmy McMook give you the slip?" Dean asked. "Yeah, it's pretty funny. What were you doing, anyway?"

Sam hesitated a moment before answering. "I was getting a Coke."

Amy turned to Sam with a look of disbelief on her face. "A coke?" she asked. "Seriously?"

Dean stared at his brother as he continued brushing his teeth. "Was it a refreshing Coke?"

Sam sighed. "Can we just go, please? I've already found his address."

Dean disappeared back into the bathroom coming back out a second later. He grabbed his already-packed bag. "Let's roll."

They hurried out to the Impala and tossed their bags in the trunk, before climbing in. Amy closed the back door just as Dean started the engine and peeled out of the driveway.

* * *

They had been driving for ten minutes when Anna suddenly appeared in the backseat next to Amy. "Hey, guys."

Amy jumped at the sight of Anna suddenly appearing. "What the hell?!"

Everyone except Anna grabbed onto something as Dean jerked the steering wheel. The Impala swerved into the other lane before he finally got the car back under control.

Anna barely reacted. "Smooth," she said sarcastically.

"You ever try calling ahead?" Dean snapped.

Anna shrugged. "I like the element of surprise."

"What are you doing here?" Amy asked.

"You let Jimmy get away," Anna reminded them.

Dean jabbed a finger at Sam. "Talk to Ginormo here."

Anna frowned at Sam. "Sam. You seem different."

Sam laughed nervously. "Me? I don't know. Heh. A haircut?"

Amy raised an eyebrow. "Sam, when's the last time you actually had a haircut?"

"And besides," Anna continued, "that's not what I'm talking about." She cast Sam a meaningful look, before turning back to Dean.

"So, what'd Jimmy tell you?" the angel asked. "He remember anything?"

Dean shook his head. "Why? What's going on?"

"It's Cas. He got sent back home," Anna explained. "Well, more like dragged back."

"That's bad, right?" Amy asked.

Anna nodded. "It's a very bad thing. Painfully, awfully bad. He must have seriously pissed someone off."

"Cas said he had something to tell me," Dean said. "Something important."

"What?"

"I don't know."

"Does Jimmy know?"

Dean shrugged. "I don't think so."

"You don't think so?" Anna repeated. "Whatever it is, it's huge. You gotta find out for sure."

"Jimmy said he didn't remember much from being possessed," Amy explained.

"That's why we're going after him," Sam continued.

"That's why you shouldn't have let him go in the first place," Anna snapped. "He's probably dead already."

Dean opened his mouth to say something, but Anna was already gone. "Damn it!" he snapped. He pushed the gas pedal further down and sped faster down the road.

* * *

**Pontiac, Illinois**

They reached Jimmy's address a short while later, just after dark. Lights were on inside and Dean parked the Impala in front of the house and grabbed Ruby's knife.

They crept up to the house. Dean peered in through a window, before quickly ducking back down. "Demon," he whispered. They crept towards an open back door.

"Daddy!" a child's voice cried out. That was Claire, Jimmy's daughter.

Inside the house, there was a demon holding a Claire with a knife to her neck. Jimmy was struggling with another demon as another woman watched fearfully.

Dean snuck up behind the demon holding Claire. He slit the vessel's throat and pulled him off of Claire.

The demon that was fighting Jimmy stood up. She started struggling, unable to move. Amy looked over to see Sam holding his hand out, using his psychic abilities.

"Go," Sam strained. "Get them out of here."

Amy pulled on Jimmy's arm as he grabbed his wife and Claire. "Come on, we gotta go."

Jimmy started to run his wife and Claire out of the house. He turned back to look at the hunters.

"Go, go," Dean shouted.

Amy pushed them out the front door, closing it behind them. She ran back into the living room as Sam closed his eyes. The demon looked worried for a moment, before smirking. Sam opened his eyes, breathing heavily at his unsuccessful attempt at exorcising the demon.

"Aw. Can't get it up, can you, Sam?" the demon taunted.

Dean rushed forward, Ruby's knife in the air. "No, but I can."

Before Dean could stab her, the demon flew out of the vessel. Dean grabbed Sam and Amy by the arm.

"Come on, come on, come on, come on," he yelled as they ran out the door.

Jimmy and Claire were waiting by the Impala when they ran outside.

"Thank god," Jimmy said as they approached.

Dean looked around. "Where's your wife?"

Amelia ran up, holding Jimmy's trench coat. "Right here."

"Let's go."

Jimmy, Amelia, and Claire climbed into the back of the Impala.

Amy squeezed in front with Sam and Dean. She pulled her knees up to her chest as Dean peeled away from the house.

"Who the hell are you guys?" Amelia asked.

Amy turned to the backseat as best as she could. "I'm Amy," she said. "This is Sam and that's Dean. We're here to help."

"Help?" Jimmy's wife asked. "You killed Roger!"

"Roger was a demon," Dean snapped. "And he was going to kill all of you if we hadn't stepped in, so you're welcome."

Amelia up at Jimmy, who was cuddling Claire up next to him, in shock. Jimmy nodded in confirmation.

"Look, right now we gotta get you guys someplace safe so we can talk about our next move," Dean continued.

A few minutes later, Dean pulled into a parking garage. Amelia stayed in the back with Claire, while the hunters and Jimmy got out to talk.

Jimmy sighed. "You were right," he admitted.

"I'm sorry we were," Dean said.

"I'm telling you, I don't know anything," Jimmy insisted.

"We know that," Amy replied. "But I don't think the demons will."

Sam nodded. "And even if they did, you're a vessel. They're still gonna wanna know what makes you tick."

"Which means vivisection if they're feeling generous," Dean continued.

"I'm gonna tell you once again, you're putting your family in danger. You have to come with us."

Jimmy looked over at his wife and daughter. "How long?" Sam opened his mouth to speak, but Jimmy cut him off. "And don't give me that "cross that bridge when we get to it" crap."

"Don't you get it?" Sam finally snapped. "Forever. The demons will never stop." His voice was growing louder with every word. "You can never be with your family. So you either get as far away from them as possible or you put a bullet in your head. And that's how you keep your family safe. But there's no getting out and there's no going home."

Amy stared up at Sam after he finished. "Dude, what the hell?" she asked.

"Don't sugarcoat it, Sam," Dean added.

"I'm just telling him the truth, guys," Sam snapped. "Someone has to."

Jimmy sighed. "Can I at least say goodbye to my wife and daughter?"

Dean thought about it for a moment, before nodding. "They can't go home, either. Is there someplace they can go in the meantime? A friend or family member?"

"Amelia's parents live in Iowa."

"That should be far enough, right?" Amy asked, looking up at the Winchesters.

Dean nodded again. "We'll let you say your goodbye's." He led Sam and Amy away from the Impala.

Jimmy opened the back door and knelt down, speaking in a hushed voice to his wife.

Amy and Dean watched as Amelia started crying and pulled Jimmy into a hug. They got out of the car and Jimmy went around to wake up Claire. The family got out of the Impala and waited as Sam hot-wired a nearby car.

After Sam finished hot-wiring the car, he approached Amelia and Claire. "Okay, so, uh, here's your car." Giving Amelia a small nod, he climbed into the Impala with Dean and Amy.

Jimmy took Claire's hands. "Hey, take care of your mom, okay, Bub?" he instructed.

Claire nodded and Jimmy placed his forehead on hers. After a moment he climbed into the backseat, shutting the door behind him. Dean started the engine and they drove off.

"We have a friend in Sioux Falls," Dean explained as he pulled the Impala out of the lot. "You'll be safest with him."

Jimmy didn't say anything as he stared out the window.

* * *

It started raining almost as soon as they left the parking garage. Amy watched the raindrops run down her window as Jimmy tried to sleep in the seat next to her.

Five minutes after they left, Sam's phone rang. He frowned at the caller ID, before answering. "Hello?" There was a pause before Sam turned to the backseat. "It's for Jimmy."

Amy shook Jimmy awake. "Phone call," she said.

"It's your wife," Sam added as Jimmy took the phone from him.

"Amelia?" Jimmy asked sleepily. There was a brief pause as he listened to the other line. Jimmy sat up, a look of panic on his face. "Oh, my God."

"What happened?" Amy asked.

"We have to go back," Jimmy began. "A-a demon, a demon has my family."

Without a word, Dean instantly spun the car around and started driving back the way they had come from.

"What did it say?" Dean demanded.

"To meet at a warehouse just outside Pontiac," Jimmy said. "And that I have to come alone."

Amy scoffed. "Yeah, that's not gonna happen.

"How far is this warehouse?" Dean asked.

"About ten minutes."

Dean pushed the gas pedal further down and accelerated down the road.

* * *

Ten minutes later, they arrived at the warehouse. They got out of the Impala and stood on the passenger side.

"Alright, they're expecting you to come alone," Dean told Jimmy. "That's exactly what you're gonna do."

"We'll work our way through the catwalks," Sam continued. "We'll be right behind you."

Catching onto the plan, Amy added, "Just let us handle everything else while you stall them. We just need you to stay calm."

"You want me to stay calm?" Jimmy asked in disbelief. "This is my family we're talking about."

"Listen to me, this will work," Dean assured him. "You understand? Nobody's gonna get hurt."

Jimmy scoffed. "Yeah, whatever. Give me a minute, okay?" He turned away and walked towards the warehouse.

"There's no way they're expecting him to come alone, Dean," Sam muttered. "You know this is probably a trap."

Dean nodded. "Yeah, I know. That's why I have a plan."

"What exactly is this plan?" Amy asked.

"You'll see." Dean gestured for Sam and Amy to follow. "Come on."

Amy began to follow the Winchesters but paused when she saw Jimmy stopped in the middle of the parking lot. He shouted up to the sky as rain poured down on him.

"Castiel, you son of a bitch!" Jimmy shouted. His voice echoed through the air. "You promised me my family would be okay. You promised you were gonna take care of them. I gave you everything you asked me to give. I gave you more. This is the thanks I get? This is what you do? This is your heaven?" He paused for a moment as if waiting for a response. "Help me, please," he begged. "You promised, Cas. Just help me."

Jimmy stood there for a minute, before hanging his head. Amy couldn't hear what he said before he made his way inside.

"Amy, come on," Dean hissed.

Amy quickly followed them through a backdoor to the warehouse.

Instead of leading them up to the catwalks, Dean led them down a hallway. As they rounded a corner, Amy felt a pair of rough hands grab her around the waist and cover her mouth. Two more demons walked out of the shadows, grabbing Sam and Dean before they could do anything.

"Where do you think you're going?" the demon that had grabbed Amy hissed in her ear. Amy could only glare as she was dragged off alone with Sam and Dean.

Jimmy turned around as they were dragged into the room and a look of panic flashed across his face. Amy struggled against the demon's tight grip. The demon possessing Amelia walked up to them, while Jimmy hurried over to his daughter, who was tied to a chair, alive, but unconscious.

"Nice plan, Dean," Sam said sarcastically.

"Yeah, well, nobody bats 1,000," Dean muttered.

Amelia turned to the demon holding Sam. "Got the knife?"

The demon pulled Ruby's knife out of Sam's pocket and held it up. An idea flashed in Amy's mind. She just needed the right window.

Amelia smirked. "And you know what's funny?"

"You wearing a soccer mom?" Dean asked.

Amelia ignored him. "Is I was actually bummed to get this detail, picking up an empty vessel," she continued. "Sort of like a milk run." She glared at the hunters. "Now look who landed in my lap."

Sam laughed nervously. "Yeah, well, you got us, okay? Let these people go."

Amy looked around. ' _Cas, where are you?'_ she thought. ' _We could kinda use your help down here._ '

Claire shifted in her seat and Amy swore she saw the young girl's eyes glow blue for a brief moment.

Amy flashed a small smile. She looked over at the demon still holding Ruby's knife, then cast a quick glance over to Sam and Dean.

The demon in Jimmy's wife smirked. "Oh, Sam. It's easy to act chivalrous when your Wonder Girl powers aren't working, huh?"

Amy smirked. "No," she spoke up. "But mine still are."

Focusing her powers on the knife in the demon's hand, she spun the blade around and jabbed it in the demon's stomach. The demon flickered with light, before dropping to the ground, the knife falling from its fingertips.

Now that he was free, Sam grabbed the knife and stabbed the demon holding Amy. It flashed with light and dropped dead. Dean elbowed the demon holding him in the stomach and the demon stumbled back towards Sam. Sam grabbed the demon, holding the demon knife to its throat.

Amelia smirked. "Pity," she said. "But it's too bad you're not faster than a bullet."

Whipping out a gun, the demon spun around, shooting Jimmy in the gut before anyone had a chance to react.

"No!" Amy cried out as Jimmy clutched his bullet wound and dropped to his knees.

"Now to waste Little Orphan Annie." Amelia picked up a pipe and began making her way over to Claire, who was still unconscious.

"What the hell do we do?" Amy whispered.

"We need to stop her," Dean said, "no matter what. Come on."

The demon swung the pipe over her head. It swung the pipe down and Amy held out her hand, intending on yanking the pipe out of the demon's hand. Before she got a chance to, however, Claire suddenly opened her eyes. She grabbed the pipe and swung it at the demon's head, burning the ropes around her away.

"Cas?" Amy wondered aloud. Claire, now possessed by Castiel, turned to her for a brief moment, before turning to Jimmy. Jimmy had a look of fear in his eyes as she approached.

The demon Sam had been holding at knifepoint took the opportunity to break free. It elbowed Sam in the stomach, causing him to double over.

"Sammy!" Dean grabbed the demon by the shoulder and spun it around to face him. He punched the demon in the face and it stumbled back towards Amy's waiting fist.

As Amy and Dean continued punching the demon back and forth, Sam picked the demon knife back up. As Dean threw one final punch, Sam grabbed the demon from behind and slit its throat. The vessel collapsed to the ground

Amy hurried up to Jimmy as he propped himself up on the wall. "Hey, hey," she said as she applied pressure to the bullet hole. "It's okay. You're going to be okay." Warm blood pumped against her hands and even as she said those words, Amy knew there was a good chance she was lying.

There was a scream and Amy turned her head back towards the others. Sam stood with his back to them, unmoving. He turned around and Amy felt her heart skip a beat when she saw the blood that surrounded his mouth. In all the panic, she had forgotten about the demon blood. Did Dean know? Had she ever told him about it? One look at his face confirmed that she had not.

Sam raised a hand and Amelia suddenly stopped. Black smoke poured out of her mouth and Amelia dropped to her knees as it burned into the ground.

A cough from Jimmy brought Amy's attention back over to him.

Castiel knelt down in front of Jimmy. "Of course we keep our promises," she said. "Of course you have our gratitude. You served us well. Your work is done. It's time to go home now. Your real home. You'll rest forever in the fields of the Lord. Rest now, Jimmy."

Jimmy shook his head. "No. Claire?"

"Cas, please," Amy begged. "There's gotta be something you can do."

Castiel shook her head. "I'm afraid not. She's with me now."

Jimmy moaned in pain as he propped himself further up the wall.

"She's chosen," Castiel continued. "It's in her blood, as it was in yours."

"Please, Castiel," Jimmy pleaded, his voice breaking. "Me, just take me. Take me, please."

"I wanna make sure you understand," Castiel informed Jimmy. "You won't die or age. If this last year was painful for you, picture a hundred, a thousand more like it."

Amy let out a shaky breath as Jimmy shook his head. "It doesn't matter. You take me," he insisted. "Just take me."

Castiel looked at Jimmy for a moment, before sighing. "As you wish," she agreed.

Castiel placed a hand on Jimmy's face. There was a high pitched squealing noise and Amy shielded her eyes as a bright light emitted from Jimmy's eyes and mouth. A moment later, Claire removed her hand. She panted heavily as Castiel stood up and walked away.

Amy watched Castiel walk away. She placed a hand on Claire's shoulder. "You okay?" she asked.

Claire nodded. "What happened?" she asked.

"Long story short, you were possessed by an angel," Amy explained. "Come on, can you stand?"

Amelia ran up to them, kneeling down beside her daughter. "Are you okay?" she asked quietly. Claire nodded and Amelia pulled her daughter into a hug.

Amy stood up and walked over to Sam and Dean. Cas looked over at Amelia and Claire, before turning and walking away.

"Cas, hold up." At Dean's words, Cas turned back around. "What were you gonna tell me?"

"I learned my lesson while I was away, Dean," the angel informed him. "I serve heaven, I don't serve man, and I certainly don't serve you."

Amy couldn't think of anything to say that would stop Cas from walking away. She stood next to Sam and Dean as they watched the angel leave the warehouse.

Dean watched Cas leave before pulling out his cell phone. "I have a phone call to make," he muttered. "Make sure they're alright." He walked off, dialing a number on his phone.

"I'll go get their car started," Sam said. He opened the door to the warehouse, heading back outside.

Amelia and Claire walked over to Amy.

"Are you guys gonna be okay?" Amy asked.

"In the day, my husband who was missing for a year came back, my neighbors were killed, I was possessed by a demon, and my daughter was possessed by an angel, and now my husband is possessed by an angel and is leaving all over again." Amelia shook her head. "I don't think we'll be okay for a while."

"That's understandable." Amy gave the woman a small smile. "I'm just glad you guys are safe."

Amelia seemed hesitant to ask something. "How do you do it?" she finally asked. "I mean demons and angels? How do you hunt them down like this?"

Amy rocked back and forth on her feet. "I think I've just gotten used to it," she said. "I met Sam and Dean exactly two years ago and I've been hunting with them for almost as long. When I met them, I was terrified. But now?" She shrugged. "It sounds weird, but now it's practically just a normal everyday routine for me."

Amelia nodded but didn't say anything.

"This won't be something you just forget," Amy continued. "Are you sure you guys will be alright?"

Amelia ran a hand through her daughter's hair. "We'll be fine," she said uneasily.

Sam walked back inside the warehouse. "Your car's ready to go," he told Amelia.

Dean hung up his phone call and walked back up to them. He pulled two necklaces out of his pocket, handing them to Amelia. "These are for you guys." At Amelia's questioning look, he added, "Anti-possession charms. No demons will be able to possess you as long as you wear them. Keep them on for a month or two, just to be safe." He handed her a slip of paper with his number written down. "And call us if you have any trouble."

Amelia took the necklaces and paper. "Thank you, guys." She pulled Claire closer to her as they left the warehouse.

Dean hung up his call and walked back over to Sam and Amy. "Ready to go?" he asked.

Sam nodded. "Yeah. Who was on the phone?"

"Just an old hunting buddy," Dean said simply. He patted his brother on the shoulder. "Come on, let's get going." He walked off.

Sam shot Amy a questioning look. She merely shrugged, before hurrying off after Dean. A moment later, Sam followed.

Amelia and Claire were already gone by the time Sam and Amy got outside. Dean was waiting for them inside the already running car. They hurried through the rain and climbed inside. Dean pulled out of the parking lot, driving down the street.

* * *

"All right, let's hear it." They had been driving for almost an hour in silence and Sam was the first to break it.

Dean flashed his brother a glance. "What?"

"Drop the bomb, man," Sam demanded. "You saw what I did. Come on, stop the car, take a swing."

Dean shook his head. "I'm not gonna take a swing."

Sam turned to face Amy in the backseat. "I know you saw what I did," he said. "Don't you have anything to say?"

Amy didn't know what to say. What the hell is wrong with you, Sam? Why would you do this? How could you do this? Did what I tell you about Ruby and Lilith mean so little to you that you would go behind mine and Dean's backs like this?

With all those questions in her head, Amy still didn't know what she was supposed to say. She turned her head to look out the window, ignoring Sam.

Sam huffed. "Come on," he snapped. "Scream, chew me out."

"I'm not mad, Sam." Dean sounded a little too calm.

"Come on. You're not mad?"

Dean looked over at Sam before turning back to the road. "Nope."

Sam scoffed. "Right. Look, at least let me explain myself-"

"Don't," Dean cut him off. "I don't care."

Sam looked over at Dean. "You don't care?" he asked disbelievingly.

Dean cast his brother another look. "What do you want me to say, that I'm disappointed?" he asked. "Yeah, I am," he admitted. "But, mostly, I'm just tired, man. I'm done. I am just done."

Sam's phone began to ring. Amy turned her head back to the front as he answered it. "Hey, Bobby."

There was a pause as Sam listened to Bobby speak.

"What's going on?"

After another pause, Sam hung up. He stared at his phone in confusion.

"What'd he say?" Dean asked.

"Guess he has news about the apocalypse," Sam said. "Said we needed to get over there."

Dean nodded. Amy stretched out across the seat as he accelerated down the road.

* * *

**May 8th, 2009 - Sioux Falls, South Dakota**

They reached Bobby's house early the next morning. He led them inside and down into the basement.

"Well, thanks for shaking a tail," the old hunter said as he led them towards the panic room.

"No problem, Bobby," Amy muttered.

Sam opened the door to the panic room.

"Go on inside," Bobby instructed. "I wanna show you something."

Dean stopped Amy from following Sam as he entered the panic room. They hung back with Bobby as they watched Sam walk further into the room.

"All right. So, uh, what's the big demon problem?" Sam turned back around, freezing when he saw the others still standing outside.

"You are," Bobby said as he put a hand on the metal door. "This is for your own good." Dean helped him close the panic room, locking it tightly.

Sam slowly walked up to the barred window. "Guys?"

Bobby ignored him, closing and latching the window.

Sam's voice became muffled as he continued shouting at them, growing angrier with every word. "Hey, hey. What? This isn't funny. Guys! Hey! Guys?"

Amy turned and headed back up the stairs. She heard Dean and Bobby follow her out of the basement and disappear into Bobby's study. Amy sighed as she headed up to the second floor and into her room, closing the door behind her.


	29. When the Levee Breaks

**May 9th, 2009 - Sioux Falls, South Dakota**

Amy stayed in her room the entire next day. Every once in a while, Sam's panicked screams would sound from downstairs, loud enough that Amy could hear them even from her room, even if they were muffled. They were almost impossible to ignore.

It wasn't until late the next evening that Amy joined Dean and Bobby in the study.

"Guys! Get down here!" Sam was still in the panic room downstairs. His screams went ignored as they echoed throughout the house. "Something's coming!"

Dean leaned against the wall as his brother continued yelling. It had been like this all day. Sam's screams sounded throughout the house, growing more and more desperate with each passing hour.

Amy sat down on the couch, pulling her knees up to her chest as she tried to ignore the younger Winchester.

"Don't. No, no, don't." Sam sounded scared, but they continued to ignore him. "Don't, don't. No—stop! Stop! Alastair—please. Please."

Amy looked up briefly at that, before reminding herself that Sam was just trying to get them to let him out, as Dean constantly had to tell her.

"No. No. God, no! Please! Please, please. God!"

Bobby sat down at his desk and poured two glasses of whiskey, handing one to Dean. He offered one to Amy, but she shook her head.

"Stop! Stop!"

Dean took the glass and let out a heavy sigh. "How long is this gonna go on?" he finally asked.

Bobby rolled his eyes. "Here, let me look it up in my demon-detox manual." He reached towards the stack of books next to him. "Oh, wait. No one ever wrote one."

Sam continued screaming. It was becoming almost unbearable to ignore.

"No telling how long it'll take," Bobby continued. "Hell, or if Sam will even live through it."

"If?" Amy repeated, casting Bobby the same worried expression as Dean.

Before Bobby could answer, his phone rang. He downed his whiskey and sighed before answering. Dean turned and walked away.

"Hello?" Bobby frowned. "Suck dirt and die, Rufus," he said. "You call me again, I'll kill you." He hung up the phone, slamming it down on the desk.

"What's up with Rufus?" Dean asked, walking back up to the desk.

Bobby nodded. "He knows."

The phone rang again. Bobby glared at it before answering. "I'm busy, you son of a bitch," he snapped. "This better be important." He listened to Rufus speak on the other line. After a moment, he turned to Dean, his eyes wide. After some more listening, he hung up.

"What was that all about?" Amy asked.

Bobby turned to his computer. "Another damn seal has been broken, that's what." He printed out a news article and stood up, handing the papers to Dean. "The news," he said. "And the news ain't good."

Dean took the papers. "This is what Rufus called about?" He read the headline. "Key West sees ten species go extinct."

"Yep," Bobby confirmed. "Plus Alaska - fifteen-man fishing crew all stricken blind, cause unknown. New York - teacher goes postal, locks the door, kills exactly sixty-six kids. All this in a single day? I looked them up. There's no doubt about it. They're all seals. Breaking. Fast."

Dean spun around. "How many are left?"

"I'm guessing not many," Amy said, crossing her arms.

Bobby grunted in agreement. "Where the hell are your angel pals?"

Dean tossed the paper down. "You tell me."

Bobby watched Dean pace around the room. "I'm just wondering..." he trailed off.

Dean turned to face the old hunter. "What?"

"With the apocalypse being nigh and all," Bobby continued, "is now really the right time to be having this little domestic drama of ours?"

"What do you mean?" Dean asked.

"Well, I don't like this any more than you do, but Sam can kill demons," Bobby reminded him. "He's got a shot at stopping Armageddon."

Amy cast Dean a confused look. Had they not told Bobby about Lilith? They hadn't seen him in a while, so it was possible.

"What?" Bobby asked.

"Did we not tell you?" Amy asked.

"Tell me what?"

"Lilith is the final seal," Dean told him. "We kill her, and the apocalypse begins."

Bobby looked between Dean and Amy. "And when exactly were you planning on telling me this?"

"Guess we kinda forgot," Amy said sheepishly.

Bobby stared at her in disbelief. "You forgot?" he asked, his voice quiet. There was a brief pause before he suddenly snapped, yelling louder than Amy had ever heard him yell. She moved closer to Dean, slightly afraid for her own life. "You forgot to mention that the one thing we're trying to do to stop the apocalypse is actually what causes it?"

"She told Sam and me about it a few months ago," Dean offered.

"And what?" Bobby asked. "You couldn't provide me with this useful information?"

"Well, we haven't exactly seen you in a while," Amy said.

"Then you pick up a damn phone, and you call me!" Bobby growled.

Amy turned to Dean. "You don't think he was planning on killing Lilith anyway, do you?" she asked. "And working with Ruby even after everything I told you guys?"

"I don't know," Dean admitted. "I wouldn't put it past him, though."

"What exactly is it that you idjits neglected to tell me?" Bobby asked.

Amy sighed. "Basically, Ruby is working with Lilith. She was tricking Sam into drinking demon blood so that he could kill Lilith and ultimately break the final seal, freeing Lucifer."

Dean groaned. "I need some air." Without another word, he turned around and headed outside.

Amy watched the door close behind the hunter. She sighed, turning to Bobby. "What now?"

"Figure out how to stop Lilith without killing her," Bobby said, "if that's even possible." He dropped a book on the desk. "Start reading."

Amy sighed again. She picked up the heavy book and sat down on the couch, opening to the first page.

* * *

Amy read the section on the page. The words swarmed on the page, so she reread it, but she still couldn't make out the words. She closed the book and stretched out her cramped up legs. They had been reading for almost three hours, and Sam had gone quiet downstairs. Dean had been outside the entire time, and every once in a while, Amy faintly heard him call out for Castiel. Finally, he came back inside, looking slightly forlorn.

"Everything okay?" Amy asked.

"Yeah, I, uh, it's getting late. I think I'm gonna try to get some sleep." Dean nodded towards the couch she was sitting on as if to tell her to move so he could lay down.

Amy looked at Dean in confusion. "Um, okay then," she finally said. She closed her book. "Guess I'll see you guys in the morning, then."

Amy headed into her room, shutting the door behind her. She changed into a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt and climbed into her bed.

But she didn't close her eyes. She lay on her back, staring up at the ceiling. Had telling Sam and Dean about Ruby and Lilith been for nothing? Was Sam really still preferring to listen to Ruby and kill Lilith instead? She rolled onto her side and curled up her legs. Maybe if she had told them sooner than just a few months ago, it would have worked? By the time she had told them, Sam had already been addicted to the demon blood. Maybe she had waited too long to say anything. At this point, she didn't know what to do. It didn't look like there was any way to stop Sam from killing Lilith after all.

* * *

**May 10th, 2009**

The next morning, Amy headed back downstairs. Sam had resumed calling out for help, and Dean and Bobby were in the middle of a conversation.

Bobby stood by his desk. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but you willingly signed up to be the angels' bitch," he was saying.

Dean glared at him.

"I'm sorry. You prefer 'sucker'?" Bobby asked. "After everything you said about them, now you trust them?"

"What's going on?" Amy asked, walking into the room.

"Dean here signed on to work alongside the angels last night?"

"What?" Amy turned to Dean. "Why?"

"Come on, give me a little credit, you guys," Dean said. "I've never trusted them less. I mean, they come on like shady politicians from planet Vulcan."

"Then why in the hell did you—"

Dean cut Bobby off. "Because what other option do I have? It's either trusting the angels or letting Sammy trust a demon?"

"I'm sorry," Amy said, "but did you forget about the fact that some of the angels that you just signed up to work with want the apocalypse to happen? Uriel was killing angels for that exact reason, and now you're working with them?"

"Of course, I didn't forget!" Dean snapped. "But you also said that not every angel wants this to happen. Like Cas?"

"Yeah, that's true," Amy confirmed, "and there are ones that aren't on any side. But it's not like you have any way of knowing which is which. They're not just gonna tell you."

"I see your point," Bobby said.

Dean suddenly looked behind him, frowning. "You hear that?"

"I don't hear anything," Amy noticed.

"Exactly," Dean agreed. "Something's happened." He took off running down to the basement, Amy and Bobby close behind.

They ran to the panic room, and Dean slid open the window in the door. Amy could hear Sam grunting inside as Dean and Bobby looked into the room.

"What if he's faking?" Dean asked.

"You really think he would?" Bobby asked.

"I think he'd do anything," Dean said.

"What's going on?" Amy asked. "I can't see."

Before Dean or Bobby could answer, Amy heard a loud thud on the wall inside.

"That ain't faking," Bobby said. They opened the door and ran inside, giving Amy a full view of what was happening.

Amy froze at what she saw before her. "What the hell?" she asked.

Sam was being pinned to the wall by an invisible force that was spinning him across the metal walls, knocking over a wooden table. Dean and Bobby quickly ran up and grabbed Sam's arms, pulling him down onto the floor. Dean pulled out a belt and put it into Sam's mouth.

"We're gonna have to tie him down for his own safety," Bobby said as Sam struggled against them.

Dean looked distraughtly at his brother.

"Dean? You with me?" Bobby asked.

Dean didn't answer.

"Dean!" Bobby snapped. "Before he has another fit."

Dean nodded. "Yeah, yeah. Let's just get it over with." He turned to Amy. "Get over here and help us out."

Amy hurried over. Sam was kicking his feet as he tried to get away from the three hunters. Bobby and Dean pulled him onto the cot and held him down as Amy quickly chained his wrists and ankles.

When Sam was restrained, Dean and Bobby finally let go. Sam stared straight ahead, unmoving, but alive.

"What the hell was that?" Amy asked, slightly out of breath.

"My guess was the demon blood was doing that to him," Bobby said. He turned to Dean. "Are you sure we're doing the right thing?"

Dean didn't answer. He stared down at his unconscious brother for a moment before turning and walking out of the room. Bobby and Amy watched him leave before following him back upstairs.

Dean was sitting on the couch when Amy and Bobby entered the study. Amy leaned against the wall, studying Dean's face.

"I'm gonna ask one more time," Bobby said as he leaned across his desk. "Are we absolutely sure we're doing the right thing?"

Dean looked at the old hunter in confusion as he stood up. "Bobby, you saw what was happening to him down there. The demon blood is killing him."

"We don't really know that it's the demon blood killing him, though," Amy replied.

"That's 'cause, it isn't," Bobby confirmed. "We are."

"What?"

Bobby shook his head. "I'm sorry. I can't bite my tongue any longer. We're killing him. Keeping him locked up down there. This cold-turkey thing isn't working." He took a deep breath. "If-if he doesn't get what he needs, soon, Sam's not gonna last much longer."

"No." Amy crossed her arms. "No, it's too risky."

Dean shook his head. "I'm not giving him demon blood. I won't do it."

"And if he dies?" Bobby argued.

"Then, at least he dies human!" Dean snapped.

"That demon blood is practically what started this whole mess," Amy said. "We can't let him have any."

"I would die for him in a second, but I won't let him do this to himself," Dean spoke almost in a whisper. "I can't. I guess I found my line. I won't let my brother turn into a monster."

The room fell silent again. "Okay," Bobby finally agreed. "Okay, boy."

Amy nodded in agreement. Sam had fallen silent once more downstairs.

"If we can't kill Lilith," Amy wondered aloud. "Maybe we can find a way to trap her."

"Trap her?" Dean asked.

Amy shrugged. "It's a long shot, but maybe there's a way to do it. Trap her without actually killing her. That way, we stop the apocalypse and Lilith isn't still walking around earth."

Bobby pulled a few books off the shelf behind him. "If there is a way to do that, it'll be in one of these." He dropped the books on his desk. "So, start reading." He grabbed a book and sat down at his desk.

Amy and Dean each grabbed a book each as well. They sat down on the couch and began searching for a way to trap Lilith if that was even possible.

* * *

Bobby fell asleep at his desk later that night. Amy stretched her arms as she let out a yawn.

"We should get some rest," Dean suggested. "We can figure this all out in the morning."

Amy nodded. "Okay. I'll see you in the morning, I guess."

Amy headed up to her room. She kicked off her shoes and pulled on a pair of sweatpants and a tee before climbing into her bed.

* * *

A frantic knock on her door woke her up. "Amy, get up," Dean's voice came through the door. "Sam's gone."

Amy hurried over and pulled open her door. "Sam got out?" she asked.

"Yeah," Dean confirmed. "Come on and help me look for Bobby. I woke up, and he was gone."

"Say no more." Amy followed Dean down the stairs and out the back door, grabbing two flashlights on the way out.

They headed out into the junkyard with flashlights in their hands as they searched for any sign of the old hunter.

"Check over there," Dean instructed as he pointed in a random direction. He headed in the opposite direction.

Amy walked off to where Dean had pointed. "Bobby?" she called out. "You out here!"

"Amy, over here!" Dean called. Amy hurried over, following his voice. She ran into an open area, where Bobby was lying unconscious on the ground, his hat and shotgun lying near him.

Amy fell to her knees as she reached them. "Bobby?"

Dean slapped Bobby across the face. "Bobby, hey!"

Bobby groaned as he opened his eyes. "Dean?" he mumbled.

"Yeah, hey," Dean said. "I got you." He helped Bobby sit up.

"What happened?" Amy asked. "Where's Sam?"

Bobby stood up. "Son of a bitch stole my car and took off. No tellin' where he went."

"Damn it!" Dean spun around and hurried off towards the house. Bobby put his hat back on and picked up his shotgun before he and Amy followed Dean inside.

They headed down to the panic room. Bobby flicked on the light and unlocked the door, pulling it open.

"How the hell did he get out?" Dean asked as he looked around the room.

"Maybe he had help," Bobby guessed, nodding towards the floor.

Amy looked down to see the iron devil's trap in the room split apart.

"Room full of busted devil's traps," Bobby continued.

"Who did he have help from, though?" Amy asked. "Angels?"

"Or demons?" Dean guessed. "Ruby."

Amy shook her head. "I don't think she could have gotten past the door."

"What difference does it make?" Bobby asked. "How he got gone ain't as important as where he got gone to."

Dean sighed. "Well, I'll tell you one thing. At this point, I hope he's with Ruby."

Bobby looked at him in confusion. "Why?"

"'Cause killing her's the next big item on my to-do list." Dean turned around and began angrily heading back to the stairs.

"I thought you were on call for angel duty," Bobby called after him.

"I am on call," Dean said as he continued walking away. "In my car, on my way to murder the bitch."

Amy began to follow Dean out of the basement.

"One thing," Bobby said.

Dean stopped in his tracks, turning around to face Bobby. "What?"

"Sam don't wanna be found," Bobby reminded him, "which means he's gonna be damn near impossible to find."

Dean scoffed. "Yeah, we'll see," he muttered.

Amy and Bobby followed Dean upstairs.

"I'll file a report with police about the car Sam stole," Bobby said as they joined Dean in the study. "TIll they find it, though, there's not gonna be much we can do in terms of finding Sam."

"Oh, I'll find him alright," Dean promised.

"Well, until we have a lead on that car, we don't have many options."

"Bobby's right, Dean," Amy agreed. "I doubt Sam left his phone on for you to track, and it's late."

* * *

**May 11th, 2009**

The next morning, Bobby got a call from the police department. Amy heard the end of the call as she made her way downstairs.

"Police found my car," Bobby said as he stood up from his desk.

"Well that's a start, at least," Amy said. "But I'm guessing by your tone that Sam wasn't with it?"

Bobby shook his head. "Abandoned," he said.

"Were there any other cars stolen?" Amy asked.

Bobby nodded. "Dean's outside working on the Impala. He'll wanna hear this."

"Right."

Amy followed Bobby through the back door. They found Dean in the junkyard, working on the engine of the Impala.

"Police found my car," Bobby said as they approached. Dean looked up in interest at that. "Abandoned in an alley in Jamestown, North Dakota."

Dean straightened up. "He's switching up. Any other cars stolen in Jamestown?"

"Two," Bobby confirmed. "1999 Honda Civic, blue. Nice and anonymous, like Sam likes."

"If he doesn't want to be found, I doubt he'd take a car you know he likes."

Dean nodded in agreement. "What was the other one?"

Bobby chuckled. "White oh-five Escalade with custom rims. It's a neon sign."

"You're right. He'd never take that," Dean agreed. "Which is exactly what he did."

Bobby frowned. "You think?"

"Definitely," Amy agreed.

Dean nodded. "I know that kid." He started picking up his tools. All right, Amy and I'll head in that direction. You stay here, ride the police databases." Dean closed the hood. "We gotta find him quick." He turned to Amy. "Get packed up. We need to leave asap."

Amy hurried inside and up the stairs to her room. She grabbed her duffle bag and tossed it onto the bag, throwing a few pairs of clothes into it. When she was packed up, she zipped up the bag and headed downstairs, where Dean was waiting for her by the front door.

"Ready to go?" Dean asked.

"Yeah," Amy confirmed. "Let's get going."

"I'll keep you guys updated if I find anything," Bobby said.

"Thanks, Bobby."

Dean led Amy out to the Impala. She tossed her bag in the back and slid into the passenger side. Dean started the engine, and they took off in the direction of Jamestown.

"Do you think we have a shot?" Dean asked.

Amy sighed. "Honestly? I have no idea."

"What does that mean?"

"It means that by the looks of how things are going, Sam would rather listen to Ruby rather than us for some reason," Amy explained. "He kept drinking the demon blood, even after I told you guys about Ruby and Lilith, but -" Amy sighed, "I think that might have been my fault."

"What?" Dean looked over at her. "How was Sam getting addicted to that stuff your fault?"

"I think I waited too long to say anything," Amy said. "Sam was already addicted to the demon blood by the time I did say anything, and I think by the time I did, there was no way he was just going to stop." She shook her head. "If I had said something sooner, maybe we would have a better shot, but at this point, I don't know what to do. And, if I'm being completely honest, Dean, I'm fucking terrified right now."

"Well, don't worry. We'll figure all this out," Dean assured her. He didn't sound too confident about it, though.

* * *

They had been on the road for three hours when Bobby called. Dean put it on speaker, so Amy could join in.

"Hey, Bobby," Dean said loud enough for Bobby to hear him. "Amy and I are just passing through Minneapolis.

"You find anything?" Amy asked.

"Cops found the Escalade in a ditch outside Elk River," Bobby explained.

"How far away are we?

"A couple of hours. I pulled up a weather map, made some calls," Bobby continued. "There's a town not far from there, Cold Spring. Lighting up with demon signs."

"That's a good place to look."

Amy heard Bobby sigh on the other line. "Hey, listen."

"What?"

"Us finding Sam? It's gotta be about getting him back, not pushing him away," Bobby said firmly.

Dean paused. "Right."

"I know you're mad, Dean. I understand," Bobby said. "You got a right to be, but I'm just saying. Be good to him anyway. You gotta get through to him."

Dean didn't say anything. He hung up the phone and tossed it into the armrest.

Amy sighed. Was there even a way to get through to Sam? At this point, she wasn't sure herself.

* * *

**May 12th, 2009 - Cold Springs, Wisconsin**

They reached their destination sometime after midnight. Bobby had called them earlier to tell them about another car in Elk River that had been stolen. A bright green '07 Charger that definitely stuck out, which made Dean positive Sam had taken it.

"How are we supposed to find Sam around here?" Amy asked as she looked down the dark street.

"He'll be at the first hotel we see," Dean said. At Amy's confused look, he added. "I told you, I know that kid."

Amy spotted something bright green in a parking lot ahead. She pointed it out. "Hey, isn't that the car that was stolen from Elk River?"

"Yeah, it is," Dean confirmed. "Which means Sam is there." He pulled into the parking lot, out of view, and they got out. Dean grabbed the demon knife out of the trunk.

"Looks like someones in that room on the fifth floor," Amy noticed, pointing to two figures moving around in a room that had the curtains drawn.

"I'll bet you anything he's in there," Dean said. "Come on."

Dean and Amy made their way inside the hotel. They took the elevator to the fifth floor and walked down the hall in the direction of the window they had seen from the parking lot.

At the end of the hallway, there were two rooms. They hid behind the wall, wait for Sam to come out of one of them.

A couple of minutes later, the door to room 523 opened, and Sam stepped out. He looked around, before walking down around the corner, away from Dean and Amy.

"Come on," Dean whispered.

Dean and Amy made their way to the door and opened it up. Ruby was inside with her back to them, packing a bag. Dean raised the knife and slowly began approaching the demon.

Ruby spun around as Dean got closer. Dean swung the knife down, but Ruby grabbed his arm. Amy ran up to help, grabbing Ruby's other arm. The hunters shoved Ruby into the wall, and the three of them began struggling for the knife.

Amy strained as she and Dean tried to bend Ruby's arms and drive the demon knife into her. Ruby struggled to push the two hunters away.

Just as the tip of the knife reached Ruby's chest, Sam appeared. "No. Let her go. Just take it easy." He shoved Amy out of the way, before grabbing the knife from Dean and spinning him around until he fell onto the bed.

Dean slowly stood up. "Well, it must've been some party you two had going, considering how hard you tried to keep us from crashing it. Well, solid try, but here we are."

Amy groaned as she stood up as well. "Sam, what the hell, man?"

"Dean, Amy, I'm glad you're here," Sam replied. "Look. Let's just talk about this."

"Talk?" Amy asked. "You wanna talk?"

Dean pointed to Ruby. "Soon as she's dead, we can talk all you want."

Sam turned back to the demon. "Ruby, get out of here."

"Sam, what the hell is wrong with you?" Amy asked angrily.

"No, she's not going anywhere," Dean snapped, just as angry as Amy.

Ruby hurried out the door.

"She's poison, Sam," Dean snapped as the door closed behind Ruby.

"It's not what you think, Dean," Sam said softly.

"It's exactly what I think," Amy reminded him. "She's using you!"

"She's manipulating you!" Dean snapped. "Trying to get you to kill Lilith so the freaking devil can be freed. Don't you remember? She wants this. That bitch is manipulating your ass ten ways from Sunday"

Sam shook his head. "You're wrong. You both are."

Amy couldn't believe what she was hearing. Sam was actually choosing to listen to a demon rather than his own brother and Amy. "Sam, what the actual hell is wrong with you?" she asked. "Do you even hear yourself right now?"

Dean took a step towards his brother. "I just want you to be okay," he said. "You would do the same for me. You know you would."

"Just listen." Sam raised his hand. He was still holding Ruby's knife and tossed it on the bed. "Just listen for a second," he repeated. "We got a lead on a demon close to Lilith. Come with us, Dean. We'll do this together."

"That's what we don't want!" Dean argued. "Killing Lilith, if Amy is right, is the last thing we want." He took a breath. "Look, we're looking for a way to trap her, but we need your help. And it has to be the three of us. Demon bitch is a dealbreaker. You kiss her goodbye, we can go right now," he promised.

Sam shook his head. "I can't."

Dean turned his head away, nodding. Amy looked down at the floor. She felt tears start to form in her eyes.

"Dean, I need her to help me kill Lilith," Sam said. Dean turned around, rubbing a hand on his face. "I know you can't wrap your head around it, but maybe one day you'll understand. I'm the only one who can do this, Dean."

Amy sighed. So, it was true. Sam was going back on his word. Ruby had manipulated him so much that he preferred to listen to her. If only Amy hadn't waited so long to say anything, maybe if they had found and killed Lilith before the sixty-six seals had been broken, none of this would have happened.

Dean turned back around. "Do what? Trap Lilith?"

"Kill her."

Amy took a step forward. "Sam, do you even hear yourself right now?"

Dean put a hand up to silence her. He turned back to Sam. "You're not gonna do a single damn thing," he growled.

"Stop bossing me around, Dean," Sam snapped. He took a deep breath, calming himself down. "Look," he said, a little calmer. "My whole life, you take the wheel, you call the shots, and I trust you because you are my brother. Now I'm asking you, for once, trust me."

Dean started to nod, and Sam let out a sigh of relief. The moment was soon lost when Dean shook his head. "No. You don't know what you're doing, Sam."

"Yes, I do," Sam insisted.

"Then that's worse!" Dean said.

"Why? Look, I'm telling you—"

Dean cut Sam off. "Because it's not something that you're doing, it's what you are! It means—" he cut himself off.

"What?" Sam asked. The look in his eyes dared Dean to finish his thought. "No. Say it," he snarled.

"It means you're a monster."

Amy let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding. That was it. That was the final straw needed for Sam to snap.

The next thing Amy saw was Sam punching Dean hard in the face. Dean fell hard onto the floor. Amy swung her foot at Sam's face, but he grabbed her ankle, throwing her across the room. She crashed into the wall behind Sam, sliding down to the floor.

She watched Dean slowly stand up and face his brother. Sam straightened up. They watched each other for a moment before Dean swung a punch directly at Sam's nose.

Sam stumbled back. Amy stood up as Dean punched and kicked his brother over and over. Sam stumbled back with each hit until he finally managed to grab Dean's arm and knee him repeatedly in the stomach. He shoved Dean into a mirror, shattering it, before punching him a few more times.

Dean gave Sam another punch in the face, and Sam stumbled back again. Amy couldn't stand there any longer. She grabbed Sam by the shoulder and spun him around to face her, before punching him in the face.

Her punch didn't have the same strength as Dean's, but it was still enough to make Sam take a step back. Sam grabbed her by the shirt, lifting her into the air. He threw her into the table between the two beds. She landed on top of the table, knocking the lamp to the floor.

Amy fell to the ground as Sam began approaching her. "Sam, please, don't make me do this," she pleaded. "Just listen to yourself."

Sam didn't say anything. He kept advancing on her, and Amy saw that she didn't have much choice. She held up a hand, using her powers to throw Sam across the room. He hit the wall on the opposite side. Dean took the opportunity to grab Sam forcefully by the shoulder and punch him again.

Sam kicked Dean's feet out from underneath him. Dean fell to the ground again, and Sam got on top of him, punching Dean repeatedly in the face. After a moment, he paused. Dean didn't get up, and Sam grabbed him by the throat, pinning his brother to the ground.

"You don't know me," Sam snarled. "You never did. And you never will."

Sam slowly rose to his feet. He turned to Amy, glaring at her for a moment before walking towards the door. Amy wanted to stop, more than anything at that moment. But if she and Dean together weren't able to, there was no point in trying.

Dean struggled to breathe. "You walk out that door, don't you ever come back," he choked out.

Sam stopped with his hand on the door handle, turning back at the words Dean said. The same ones their father had told him all those years ago when Sam went to college.

Sam seemed to hesitate for a moment, before he opened the door and walked out of the room, closing the door behind him.


	30. Lucifer Rising

**May 13th, 2009 - Cold Springs, Wisconsin**

Sam was gone. Two minutes ago, he had walked out of the hotel room, leaving a beaten Amy and Dean behind.

Dean lay on the ground on a pile of broken glass from the mirror he and Sam had shattered in their fight. Amy leaned against the bed, wondering what to do now.

"Come on," Dean's voice brought Amy back to reality. "Let's go."

Amy stayed sitting as she watched Dean walk out of the room. It wasn't until the door closed behind him that she finally stood up and made her way to the door. She opened it up and followed Dean down the hallway and out to the Impala.

* * *

**Sioux Falls, South Dakota**

It was a quiet drive back to Bobby's house. The old hunter opened the door for them, looking confused when he saw that Sam wasn't with them.

"Where's-"

Dean cut Bobby off, shoving him out of the way as he stepped inside the house.

Bobby looked over at Amy. She shook her head silently as she stepped into the house. "We couldn't get through to him," she said quietly enough for only Bobby to hear her. "He left." She let out a shaky sigh. "With Ruby."

Bobby's face fell. "Damn it," he hissed.

Amy followed Bobby into the study, where Dean was brooding over by the window. She sat down on the couch next to him.

"What happened?" Bobby asked.

Dean didn't reply, so Amy took over answering. "We found Sam at a hotel with Ruby. He defended her and then a fight broke out." She took a deep breath. "Sam got the upper hand and walked out the door with Ruby."

Bobby turned to Dean. "Dean, I know things are tough right now," he started, "but maybe it's not too late to get through to him. Just, give him a call."

Dean still didn't answer. He continued staring out the window.

"Dean?" Amy asked.

Bobby realized Dean wasn't listening. "Dean!" he snapped. "You listen to a word I said?"

"Yeah, I heard you," Dean said, not turning away from the window. "I'm not calling him."

"Don't make me get my gun, boy," Bobby threatened.

Dean turned to face him. "We are damn near kickoff for Armageddon, don't you think we got bigger fish at the moment?"

Bobby shook his head. "I know you're pissed. And I'm not making apologies for what he's done, but he's your-"

Dean cut Bobby off. "Blood? He's my blood, is that what you were gonna say?"

"He's your brother," Bobby corrected matter of factly. "And he's drowning."

"Bobby, I tried to help him, I did. Look what happened."

"So try again," Bobby ordered.

Dean walked across the room. "It's too late."

"It might not be," Amy said hopefully.

Bobby leaned against his desk. "There's no such thing."

"No, damn it!" Dean snapped. He turned back to face Bobby as he took a few breaths to calm down. "No. I gotta face the facts. Sam never wanted part of this family. He hated this life growing up. Ran away to Stanford first chance he got. Now it's like déjà vu all over again." He sat down in the chair. "Well, I am sick and tired of chasing him. Screw him, he can do what he wants."

Amy sighed. "Dean-" she whispered.

Bobby cut her off. "You don't mean that," he said angrily

"Yes I do, Bobby." Dean looked down at the floor. Tears were forming in his eyes again. "Sam's gone. He's gone. I'm not even sure if he's still my brother anymore." There was a long pause. "If he ever was."

Bobby turned around, placing both hands on his desk. Amy could hear him breathing heavily as he looked around. She had a hunch she knew what was coming next and stood up. A moment later, he angrily swept every book and paper off of his desk, before turning back to Dean. Dean stood up as Bobby advanced on him.

"You stupid, stupid son of a bitch!" Bobby bellowed. "Well, boo hoo, I am so sorry your feelings are hurt, princess! Are you under the impression that family's supposed to make you feel good?! Bake you an apple pie, maybe? They're supposed to make you miserable! That's why they're family!"

"I told him, "you walk out that door, don't come back" and he walked out anyway!" Dean argued. "That was his choice!"

"You sound like a whiny brat."

Dean scoffed and walked away.

Bobby shook his head. "No, you sound like your dad. Well, let me tell you something. Your dad was a coward."

Dean stopped at the window. He turned back around to face Bobby. "My dad was a lot of things, Bobby, but a coward?"

"He'd rather push Sam away than reach out to him. Well, that don't strike me as brave." Bobby glared at Dean. "You are a better man than your daddy ever was. So you do both of us a favor. Don't be him."

Dean turned back to the window. Amy opened her mouth to say something, but the room around her changed before she could.

"What the hell?" Amy muttered. She was in a large room with Dean. The walls were white and painted with gold accents. Portraits lined the walls and various items, including several statues and a clock, stood on tables around the room. There was a white and gold couch on a raised platform, with steps leading up to it, and a marble table in the center of it all.

Dean turned around. His eyes grew wide at the sight of the changed scenery. Castiel stood in the center of the room.

"Hello, Dean," the angel greeted. He nodded towards Amy. "Amy. It's almost time."

Amy narrowed her eyes at the angel.

Dean continued looking around the room in shock. Finally, he turned to Castiel. "Time?" he asked. "Time for what?"

"What the hell are we doing here, Cas?" Amy asked.

Instead of answering, Castiel vanished. Amy sighed as she shook her head. "Angels," she muttered.

Dean walked around the room. "What are we doing here?" he asked.

"I think it's almost time for Lilith to be killed," Amy said. "And the angels that want that to happen are trying to stop us from preventing it."

Dean paused, turning to her in shock. He let out a breathy sigh as he continued walking around the room. He walked past a fireplace, looking up at each painting on the wall. Amy sat down at the marble table, putting her chin in her hands.

A bowl filled with ice and beers and a silver platter stacked with hamburgers appeared on the table. Dean noticed. He slowly walked up to the table, looking around suspiciously.

Dean took a beer bottle out of the bowl, studying the label. Zachariah and Castiel appeared next to him.

"Hello, Dean," Zachariah said, drawing Dean's attention to him. "You're looking fit."

"Oh god," Amy groaned, "not you." She stood up, walking over to stand next to Dean.

Dean put the beer bottle back. "Well, how 'bout this?" he asked. "The suite life of Zach and Cas."

Castiel and Zachariah stared at him blankly.

"Suite Life of Zack and Cody. It's a TV show," Amy offered helpfully.

The angels continued staring.

Dean shook his head. "Never mind. So, what is this?" He gestured around the room. "Where the hell are we?"

"Call it a Greenroom," Zachariah said as he stepped closer. "We're closing in on the grand finale, here. We want to keep you safe before showtime." He picked up one of the burgers, holding it out to Dean. "Try a burger. They're your favorite. From that seaside shack in Delaware. You were eleven, I think."

Dean shook his head. "I'm not hungry."

Zachariah held the burger out to Amy. She crossed her arms. "I'll pass," she hissed. "Thanks."

Zachariah put the burger back down. "No?" He turned back to Dean. "How about Ginger from season two of "Gilligan's Island"? You do have a thing for her, don't you?"

Dean considered the offer. "Tempting." He frowned. "Weird."

"We'll throw in Mary Ann for free," Zachariah continued.

"Please stop talking," Amy said.

"No, no. Let's... bail on the holodeck, okay?" he asked. "I want to know what the game plan is."

Zachariah smiled. "Let us worry about that. We want you... focused, relaxed."

"Well, I'm about to be pissed and leaving, so start talking, Chuckles."

Zachariah sighed, shaking his head. He walked behind Dean and Amy. "All the seals have fallen. Except one."

"You mean except Lilith being killed," Amy corrected, turning around with Dean. "Which, correct me if I'm wrong, is something you dicks are rooting for?"

Zachariah frowned, turning back to face her. "Oh, no, no, no," he said. "You've got it all wrong."

Amy scoffed. "Yeah, sure. I know a lot more than you think."

"Yes, so I've been told. You seem to have a knack for putting your nose where it doesn't belong." He turned back to Dean. "The final seal, it'll be different." Zachariah walked back over to Castiel, patting Dean on the shoulder as he walked by.

"Why?" Dean asked.

"Lilith has to break it," Zachariah said.

Dean and Amy shared a look.

"She's the only one who can," Zachariah continued. "Tomorrow night - midnight."

Amy folded her arms again and turned back to the angel, glaring.

"Where?" Dean asked.

"We're working on it," Zachariah assured him.

"Well, work harder," Dean snapped.

"We'll do our job. You just make sure you do yours."

"Yeah, and what is that, exactly?" Dean asked. "Making sure Sam doesn't start the frigging apocalypse? 'Cause I can't exactly do that from in here."

"All in good time," Zachariah assured him.

Amy sighed. She leaned back, looking up at the ceiling. "Wow," she whispered.

"Isn't now a good time?" Dean asked.

"Have faith."

"What, in you? Give me one good reason why I should."

Zachariah walked forward, getting in Dean's face. "Because you swore your obedience. So obey."

Dean looked over at Castiel, who looked down guiltily. A moment later, both angels vanished, leaving Amy and Dean alone in the room once more.

"I can't wait till that dick dies," Amy muttered. She sat down on the marble table as Dean pulled out his phone. "What are you doing?"

Dean didn't answer her. He paced back and forth, tapping the phone against his hand. "Ah, screw it," he muttered.

Dean opened the phone and dialed a number before holding it to his ear. There was a long pause before he started speaking, still pacing around the room. "Hey, it's me," he began. "Uh..." he cleared his throat. "Look, I'll just get right to it. I'm still pissed... and I owe you a serious beatdown. But... I shouldn't have said what I said. You know, I'm not Dad. We're brothers. You know, we're family. And, uh... no matter how bad it gets, that doesn't change. Sammy, I'm sorry."

Amy let out a long breath. "I'm sorry," she said. "This is all my fault."

Dean shook his head. "No, it's not. It's not your fault Sam didn't listen. There's no way you could have done anything about that." He walked angrily over to one of the mantelpieces against the wall. "Castiel!" he shouted angrily. "Get your ass over here!"

No response. Dean poked at one of the angel figurines on the mantelpiece. It fell to the ground, shattering on the tile. Castiel suddenly appeared behind him.

"You asked to see me?" the angel said.

Dean spun around, looking slightly guilty. "Yeah, listen, I, uh, I-I need something."

Castiel nodded. "Anything you wish."

"I need you to take me to see Sam."

Castiel frowned. "Why?"

"There's something I got to talk to him about," Dean said.

"What's that?" Castiel pushed.

Dean walked forward. "The B.M. I took this morning," he snapped. "What's it to you? Just make it snappy."

Castiel stared at him for a moment, before turning away. "I don't think that's wise."

"Well, I didn't ask you for your opinion," Dean said.

"Cas, please," Amy pleaded, standing up. "We're trying to stop the apocalypse here, we really are. "

Castiel ignored her. "Have you forgotten what happened the last time you met?" he asked Dean.

Dean held the angel's gaze. "No. That's the whole point." He sighed. "Listen, I'm gonna do whatever you mooks want, okay? I just need to tie up this one thing. Five minutes - that's all I need."

Castiel paused. "No," he finally said.

Dean frowned. "What do you mean, no? Are you saying that we're trapped here?"

"You can go wherever you want," Castiel promised.

"Super. I want to go see Sam," Dean declared.

"Yeah," Amy agreed. "Same here."

"Except there."

"I want to take a walk," Dean tried.

"Fine. I'll go with you."

"Alone."

"No."

Dean smirked. "You know what? Screw this noise. I'm out of here." He walked past Castiel, heading towards a door on the opposite end of the room. Amy stayed where she was, knowing his plan would never work.

Castiel turned around. "Through what door?"

Dean paused. He turned back to Castiel, frowning. Amy watched the door vanish before her eyes as Dean turned back to what was now a smooth wall. He turned back around, but Castiel was already gone.

"It never would have worked," Amy stated. "We gotta find a way to get through to Cas somehow."

Dean scoffed. "There's no getting through to him."

"There might be," Amy said.

Dean walked up to her. "How?"

Amy sighed. "Cas, he - like Ruby is with Sam, the angels are basically manipulating him. I told you before that some of the angels want Lilith freed. I'm pretty sure they've made Cas believe that same thing. They're making him believe that this is right. Just...trust me, Dean. Please. We can get through to him, we just have to find a way to do so."

Dean grabbed a pedestal. "Let's find a way out of here, first."

"That's not gonna work," Amy said. "They don't want us to leave. They're not gonna make it easy for us to get out."

"She's right, you know."

Dean and Amy turned to see Zachariah back in the room.

"Quit hurling feces like a howler monkey, would you?" Zachariah asked. "It's unbecoming."

"Let us out of here," Dean growled, advancing on the angel. He threw the pedestal to the ground.

"Like I told you: too dangerous out there. Demons on the prowl."

"I've been getting my ass kicked all year," Dean asked. "Now you're sweating my safety? You're lying. I want to see my brother."

"That's..." Zachariah paused for a moment, searching for the right words. "...ill-advised."

Dean scoffed. "You know, I am so sick of your crap riddles and your smug, fat face. What the hell is going on, huh?" he demanded. "Why can't I see Sam? And how am I gonna stop him from icing Lilith?"

Zachariah sighed. "You're not." At Dean's confused look, he added, "Going to stop Sam from icing Lilith."

Dean stared in disbelief "What?"

"And, there it is," Amy said triumphantly, folding her arms.

"Lilith's going to break the final seal," Zachariah said. "Fait accompli at this point. Train's left the station." He sat down on the couch.

Dean turned to Amy. She nodded. He turned back to Zachariah. "Amy was right. You don't want to stop it, do you?"

"Nope. Never did," Zachariah confirmed. "The end is nigh. The apocalypse is coming, kiddo, to a theater near you."

"What was all that crap about saving seals?" Dean asked.

"An act," Amy stated. "To try and get you to think they wanted the seals to stop breaking."

Zachariah nodded. "We couldn't just tell them the whole truth. We'd have a full-scale rebellion on our hands. I mean, think about it. Would we really let sixty-five seals get broken unless senior management wanted it that way?"

Dean frowned. "But why?"

Zachariah shrugged. "Why not? The apocalypse? Poor name, bad marketing. Puts people off. When all it is is Ali Foreman. On a... slightly larger scale. And we like our chances. When our side wins - and we will - it's paradise on earth."

Dean slowly turned around, now noticing the violent depictions in each painting on the walls.

"Now, what's not to like about that?" Zachariah asked.

Amy narrowed her eyes at the angel. "You sadistic son of a bitch."

"Not sadistic," Zachariah corrected. "Just...optimistic."

Dean turned back to Zachariah. "What happens to all the people during your little pissing contest?"

"Well... you can't make an omelet without cracking a few eggs." Zachariah stood back up. "In this case... truckloads of eggs, but you get the picture." He buttoned his blazer up and walked towards Dean and Amy. "Look... it happens. This isn't the first planetary enema we've delivered."

Dean began eyeing a statue on the mantelpiece. Zachariah noticed. "Uh, no, Dean," he said. "Probably shouldn't try to bash my skull in with that thing. Wouldn't end up too pleasant for you."

"What about Sam?" Dean asked. "He won't go quietly. You can't make him kill Lilith."

"Can't I?" Zachariah asked. "Because it seems to me that he's already heading in that direction. All he needs is one final push."

Amy walked over to stand next to Dean. "What the hell do you mean by that?" she asked.

"What are you gonna do to him?" Dean added.

"Sam, Sam, Sam. Marcia, Marcia, Marcia," Zachariah said mockingly. "Forget about him, would you?" He put a hand on Dean's shoulder. "You have larger concerns. Why do you think I'm confiding in you? You're still vital, Dean. We weren't lying about your destiny. Just... omitted a few pertinent details. But nothing's changed. You are chosen. You will stop it. Just... not Lilith, or the apocalypse. That's all."

"Which means?"

Zachariah pointed to one of the paintings next to them. "Lucifer." Dean turned to the painting. "You're going to stop Lucifer. You're our own little Russell Crowe, complete with surly attitude. And when it's over... and when you've won... your rewards will be... unimaginable. Peace, happiness. Zachariah pat Dean on the back. "Two virgins and seventy sluts." He chuckled and began walking across the room. "Trust me - one day, we'll look back on this and laugh."

"Tell me something," Dean said, stopping the angel in his tracks. "Where's God in all this?"

Zachariah didn't turn around. "God? God has left the building." Without another word, he disappeared.

Dean angrily kicked the wall. "Son of a bitch!" he shouted. He turned around. "I don't believe this."

"Yeah, well, believe it," Amy said. "Archangels run the show now, basically." She sat back down at the marble table, grabbing a burger.

"There's gotta be some way out of here," Dean muttered as he looked around the room.

"Try calling Sam again," Amy suggested.

Dean nodded. "Yeah, alright." He pulled out his phone and dialed Sam's number, holding the phone to his ear.

Amy watched as Dean paced around the room again, listening to the phone ring. After a moment, he frowned, looking at his phone in confusion.

Castiel suddenly appeared. "You can't reach him, Dean," the angel stated. "You're outside your coverage zone."

"What are you gonna do to Sam?" Dean demanded.

"Nothing. He's gonna do it to himself."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Amy stood back up. "Cas, please, just listen to us. Lilith is the final seal. Okay? If you can just get us to Sam, then we can stop him from killing her and breaking the final seal."

Castiel looked down but didn't say anything.

"Cas, buddy, I know you know something's wrong here," Amy continued.

Castiel didn't look back up. "I have my orders."

"Screw your orders, man!" Dean shouted. "It's not too late, we can stop this."

Castiel turned to Dean. "We've been through much together, you and I. And I just wanted to say, I'm sorry it ended like this."

"Seriously?" Amy asked. "That's all you have to say?"

Dean punched Castiel hard in the face. He flexed his hand in pain, while the angel barely flinched.

Dean straightened back up, standing with his back to Castiel. "It's Armageddon, Cas. You need a bigger word than 'sorry'."

"Try to understand, this is long foretold. This is your..."

Dean cut Castiel off. "Destiny?"

"That is such bullshit," Amy snapped.

"Don't give me that holy crap," Dean continued. "Destiny, God's plan... It's all a bunch of lies, you poor, stupid son of a bitch! It's just a way for your bosses to keep me and keep you in line! You know what's real? People, families - that's real. And you're gonna watch them all burn?"

Castiel began advancing on Dean. "What is so worth saving?" he asked angrily. "I see nothing but pain here. I see inside you. I see your guilt, your anger, confusion." He turned to Amy. "You won't be alone anymore." He turned back to Dean. "In paradise, all is forgiven. You'll be at peace. Even with Sam."

Dean took a step forward. His face was inches away from Castiel, who looked away. Dean leaned down, catching Castiel's eye. "You can take your peace... and shove it up your lily-white ass. 'Cause I'll take the pain and the guilt. I'll even take Sam as is. It's a lot better than being some Stepford bitch in paradise. This is simple, Cas! No more crap about being a good soldier. There is a right and there is a wrong here, and you know it."

Castiel turned away.

"Look at me!" Dean snapped. He grabbed the angel by the shoulder and spun him back around. "You know it!" he continued. "You were gonna help me once, weren't you? You were gonna warn me about all this before they dragged you back to Bible camp. Help me - now. Please."

Castiel hesitated. "What would you have me do?" he finally asked after a moment.

"Get us to Sam," Dean begged, gesturing between himself and Amy. "We can stop this before it's too late."

"I do that, we will all be hunted. We'll all be killed."

"I'll take that over the end of the world," Amy stated. "Especially if it means winning this."

"If there is anything worth dying for... this is it," Dean added.

Castiel looked like he wanted to agree. He opened his mouth to say something, but closed it back up and shook his head, looking down.

Amy groaned as she turned her back to Castiel and put her hands on her face in frustration. "Come on, Cas!" she snapped.

"You spineless soulless son of a bitch," Dean snarled. "What do you care about dying? You're already dead. We're done."

"Dean-"

Dean cut the angel off. "We're done!"

There was a light breeze and Amy turned around to find that Castiel had left.

* * *

Neither Dean nor Amy spoke for an hour. The minutes ticked by as Dean paced around the room. Finally, he turned to Amy.

"Maybe you could reach out to him?" he asked. "Pray to him or something?"

Amy scoffed, leaning back in her chair. "I mean if you think it'll work-"

"I don't know if it'll work, that's the thing," Dean admitted. "But we're running out of options and time. Zachariah said this thing goes down at midnight, right?"

Amy nodded. "No, you're right, this is probably our last shot." She sighed. "Here goes nothing I guess."

Amy closed her eyes. ' _Cas, I don't know if you're listening, but please just hear me out,'_ she thought, unaware if her message was getting through, ' _I know I've said it before, but we're trying to stop the apocalypse. Lilith doesn't break the final seal, she is the final seal. We can't let Sam kill her because if he does, that sets Lucifer free.'_ She cracked open her eyes. Dean was watching her. ' _I know your superiors or whatever are telling you they're doing the right thing, and they're trying to stop this as well, but they're lying, Cas. Please, just help us. It might not be too late.'_

"Did it work?" Dean asked.

"How should I know?" Amy asked back. "I guess all we can do now is wait and hope for the best." She grabbed another hamburger.

* * *

Twenty minutes ticked by. Dean continued pacing around the room, occasionally eyeing the platter of hamburgers.

"Dean, you've been staring at those burgers since we got here," Amy said, "would you just take one, already? They're actually pretty good."

Dean stopped in his tracks. He continued eyeing the burgers for a moment, before finally reaching out to grab a burger.

As soon as Dean grabbed a burger, Castiel appeared behind him. He grabbed Dean by the shoulder and spun him around, shoving him against the wall. Dean looked at Cas in confusion.

Amy quickly ran around the table. "Cas?" she asked, wondering what the angel was doing.

Cas put a hand over Dean's mouth and cast Amy a meaningful look. Amy closed her mouth, and Cas drew out the demon knife. He stared at Dean, holding up the knife. After a moment, Dean gave the angel a slight nod. Cas turned to Amy, who nodded as well.

The angel let Dean go. He drew the blade across his forearm and used his other hand to smear the blood on the wall, drawing out the angel banishing sigil.

"Castiel!" Zachariah suddenly appeared behind them. "Would you mind explaining just what the hell you're doing?"

Without a word, Castiel finished drawing the angel banishing sigil and slammed his palm down on it. Amy and Dean shielded their eyes as a flash of bright, white light appeared and Zachariah disappeared.

Castiel turned to them. "He won't be gone long. We have to find Sam now."

"Where is he?" Dean asked.

"I don't know," Cas said. "But I know who does." He handed Dean the demon knife and turned to Amy. "You were right, Lilith is the final seal. We have to stop Sam from killing Lilith."

"How?" Amy asked. "We don't have a lot of time left."

"I know someone who can tell us where he is," Cas repeated.

"Chuck," Amy realized. "Well then, what are we waiting for? Let's go!"

Castiel nodded. He stood between Amy and Dean, grabbing an arm each. The room they were in vanished and Amy soon found herself standing in a kitchen.

Chuck was on the phone with his back to them, pacing around the room as he talked on the phone. "Lady, sometimes you got to live like there's no tomorrow." He turned around, freezing when he saw the two hunters and angel standing there.

Amy turned to the angel. "Cas? Next time, just leave me behind," she said.

"Wait. T-t-this isn't supposed to happen," Chuck stuttered. He glanced at the phone in his hand as someone on the other line spoke. "No, lady, this is definitely supposed to happen, but I just got to call you back." He hung up, setting the phone on his desk.

"Chuck?" Amy asked. "Dude? What the hell?"

"I..." Chuck glanced between the Cas, Dean, and Amy, "what are you doing here? I didn't write this."

Cas took a step forward. "Where is Sam?"

"I-what?" Chuck asked.

"Answer the question, Chuck!" Dean snapped.

"Uh," Chuck fumbled for something on his desk. He pulled out a stack of papers, handing them to Dean. Amy leaned over Dean's arm as he flipped through the pages until he found what he was searching for.

"St. Mary's?" Dean asked, looking up from the papers. "What is that, a convent?"

Chuck nodded. "Yeah, but you guys aren't supposed to be there. You're not in this story."

"Yeah, well..." Castiel glanced at Dean, then at Amy, "we're making it up as we go."

The computer on Chuck's desk suddenly began flickering and the house began to shake. A bright white light appeared outside the window.

"Aw, man!" Chuck groaned. "Not again! No!"

"What's going on?" Amy asked.

"It's the Archangel!" Cas turned to Dean and Amy. "I'll hold him off!" he told them, shouting over the noise. "I'll hold them all off! Just stop Sam!" He placed a hand on each of their foreheads.

Amy expected to appear with Dean at St. Mary's, but that didn't happen. Dean disappeared from his spot next to her, but she stayed put.

She looked over at Cas and Chuck, who both had a look of confusion on their face. The house shook violently again and she almost lost her balance.

"Cas?" Amy asked as she regained her footing, "I'd like to leave now if that's alright with you."

Cas placed a hand on her forehead again. Nothing happened. "I don't understand," he said. "Why is nothing happening?"

Amy let out a panicked scream and jumped back as a lamp next to her exploded. "Cas?!" she cried out.

"Why is she still here?" Chuck asked, pointing to Amy.

"I don't understand." Panic was rising in Cas's voice. "She should have been sent to St. Mary's with Dean."

Amy and Chuck shielded their eyes as the light outside the kitchen window got brighter. Cas grabbed their arms, pushing them out of the kitchen. "Get out of here, now!" he ordered.

Chuck grabbed Amy's arm as she continued shielding her eyes. He pulled her into another room, closing the door behind them.

"Chuck, what the hell is going on?" Amy asked. "Why am I still here?"

"It's Raphael," Chuck explained. He began pacing around the room. "He's the archangel guarding prophet me. Looks like he doesn't want you to leave."

"Well, can't you get me out of here?" Amy asked, panic in her voice. It was safe to say that she was terrified at that moment.

Chuck shook his head. "Not without drawing suspicion."

"Huh?" Amy asked. Her voice squeaked slightly as she looked up at Chuck in confusion. "So I'm stuck here while your freaking house falls apart?"

"You'll be okay," Chuck assured her, "don't worry."

Amy scoffed. "Oh, yeah, cause telling someone not to panic definitely doesn't make them panic more!" The house shook again. "What's gonna happen?"

Before Chuck could answer her, there was a loud _bang_ outside the door. The force knocked Amy off her feet and she fell backward onto the wooden floor.

Amy rubbed her head as she sat up. "What was that?"

Chuck looked solemnly at the door. "Cas. That was Cas."

Amy stood back up. "Is he-?"

Chuck nodded. "Yeah, he is."

Amy let out a shaky breath she didn't know she didn't know she had been holding.

"I can rebuild him," Chuck continued, "but it'll take some time."

The clock in the pain part of the house started to chime. Amy counted twelve total. "It's midnight," she realized.

Chuck nodded. "Dean didn't make it in time," he informed her.

"Sam killed Lilith?" Amy asked.

Chuck nodded again.

"Crap," Amy said.

"I'm putting Sam and Dean on a plane right now," Chuck told her. "I'll send you there with them. Just tell them you don't know what happened."

Amy nodded. "Okay."

"I'll see you in a bit."

The room around her vanished and Amy suddenly found herself sitting next to a window on an airplane. She looked around, spotting Sam and Dean in the seats next to her.

"Amy?" Dean asked. "What happened? Where did you go?"

"Cas tried to send me to St. Mary's with you, but he couldn't," Amy explained. "I don't know what happened but all of a sudden I was here."

"What about Cas?" Dean asked. "What happened to him?"

"The archangel killed him," Amy explained. "Chuck and I hid in another room, Cas exploded, and the next thing I knew, I was here."

There was a tone above their heads and a voice came over the speaker. "Folks, quick word from the flight deck. We're just passing over Ilchester, then Ellicott City, on our initial descent into Baltimore—"

"Ilchester? Weren't we just there?" Dean asked his brother.

"So if you'd like to stretch your legs, now would be a good time to— Holy crap!" the plane suddenly tilted violently to one side. A bright light filled the cabin and oxygen masks dropped down from the ceiling above. Everyone quickly grabbed one, putting them over their faces. Amy saw Dean turn to the window, looking terrified as the plane fell through the sky. She closed the window shade.

It wasn't long before the light faded away and the plane straightened back out. The pilot's voice came back on over the speaker, telling them all it was safe to take their masks off. Amy took her mask off, letting it hang in front of her. She looked over at Dean, whose knuckles had now turned white from gripping the armrests on either side of his seat so tightly. She placed a comforting hand on his own, in an attempt to calm him down. While this wasn't how she had wanted her very first plane ride to go, comforting Dean over his fear of plane rides mattered more to her than anything at that moment.

* * *

**Baltimore, Maryland**

Half an hour later, the plane landed. Amy followed Sam and Dean through the terminal and to the rental area, where Dean got them a car.

Sam turned on the radio as Dean drove them down the road.

"—and Governor O'Malley urged calm, saying it's very unlikely an abandoned convent would be a target for terrorists, either foreign or homegrown."

"Change the station," Dean instructed.

Sam pushed a button on the radio and it flipped to a new station.

"—Hurricane Kinley, unexpectedly slamming into the Galveston area—"

Sam pushed the button again.

"—announced a successful test of the North Korean nuclear—"

And again.

"—a series of tremors—"

Again.

"—swine flu—"

Sam pushed the power button, switching the radio off. He took a deep breath. "Dean, look—"

Dean held up a hand. "Don't say anything." He paused, glancing over at Sam. "It's okay," he said. "We just got to keep our heads down and hash this out, all right?"

Sam paused. "Yeah, okay," he finally agreed.

"All right, well, first things first—How did we end up on Soul Plane?" Dean asked.

"Angels, maybe?" Sam guessed. "I mean, you know, beaming us out of harm's way?"

"Well, whatever. It's the least of our worries. We need to get back to Chuck's place. Find out everything we can." Dean gripped the wheel tightly as he sped towards Kripke's Creek, Ohio. "Hopefully he has some answers for us."


	31. Sympathy for the Devil

**May 14th, 2009 - Kripke's Hollow, Ohio**

They arrived at Chuck's house early the next morning. Dean knocked on the door, but there was no answer. He tried the doorknob and the door swung open.

The hunters stepped inside the house. Every piece of furniture had been overturned and papers were scattered across the floor. Large splatterings of blood coated everything in sight. Amy felt her stomach turn as she looked around. She hadn't been in this part of the house when Cas had been killed.

As they wandered through the kitchen and into the study, Dean stopped at the kitchen door. He drew the demon knife, running it across his arm, before using his other hand to draw an angel-banishing sigil on the door.

They wandered into the study. Something creaked behind them and they froze. Turning around, they found nothing and continued further into the house.

Dean and Amy trailed behind Sam as they walked into the study. Amy darted her eyes around, looking for any sign of Chuck.

' _Come on, Chuck. Where are you?'_ she thought.

Amy's question was quickly answered as Chuck suddenly jumped out from the room Sam was walking towards and hit the hunter on the head with a plunger.

Amy stifled a laugh as Sam stumbled back, holding his head. "Geez! Ow!"

Chuck looked at Sam in shock. "Sam," he said, sounding relieved.

"Yeah!" Sam shouted, obviously annoyed.

"Hey, Chuck," Dean greeted.

Chuck was wearing the same outfit he had on the last time Amy had seen him. The only difference now was that he had small amounts of blood on his face.

"So...you're okay?" Chuck asked, panting heavily.

"Well, my head hurts," Sam pointed out, still holding his head.

"No, I mean—I mean, my—my last vision," Chuck stammered. "You went, like, full-on Vader. Your body temperature was one-fifty. Your heart rate was two hundred. Your eyes were black."

"Wait, what?" Amy asked. Panic flashed in her eyes as she looked up at Sam.

"Your eyes went black?" Dean asked sternly.

Sam looked back over his shoulder at his brother. "I didn't know," he mumbled.

Dean looked around the room. "Cas, he uh-"

"He's dead," Chuck confirmed. "Or, gone. The archangel smote the crap out of him." He looked down, shaking his head. "I'm sorry," he whispered.

"You're sure?" Dean asked hopefully. "I mean, maybe he just vanished into the light or something."

Chuck shook his head. "Oh, no. He, like, exploded. Like a water balloon of chunky soup."

"I did not need that visual, Chuck," Amy muttered. Chuck glanced at her apologetically.

Sam sighed. He spotted something and leaned over to get a closer look. After a beat, he waved his hand over his left ear.

"You got a—"

Chuck waved a hand over his right ear. "Uh...right here?"

Sam pointed to the other side of Chuck's head. "Uh, the..."

"Oh." Chuck moved his hand over to the other side and felt his hair. "Oh, god," he groaned. He pulled something bloody out of his hair, holding it up. "Is that a molar?" he asked, his voice on the verge of a wail. "Do I have a molar in my hair?" Chuck let his arm fall to his side. "This has been a really stressful day."

Dean looked around the room. "Cas, you stupid bastard," he muttered.

Sam turned around. "Stupid?" he asked. "He was trying to help us."

"Yeah, exactly," Dean snapped.

"So, what now?" Sam asked.

Amy turned to Chuck, noticing a worried look on his face. "Chuck?" she asked. "Everything okay?"

At this, Sam and Dean stopped talking and turned to Chuck.

"I-I can feel them," Chuck stammered out.

"Who?" Dean asked.

"Thought we'd find you here," a voice Amy was not in the mood to hear said behind her.

Amy turned around with Sam and Dean to see Zachariah and two other angels there. Zachariah kicked something metal out of the way, before turning to the other room.

"Playtime's over, Dean," Zachariah said. "Time to come with us." He took a step forward.

Dean pointed to Zachariah, stopping the angel in his tracks. "You just keep your distance, asshat."

"You're upset," Zachariah noticed.

"No shit, Sherlock," Amy said, crossing her arms.

"You sons of bitches jump-started judgment day!" Dean shouted.

"Maybe we let it happen. We didn't start anything." Zachariah turned to Sam and winked. "Right, Sammy?"

Sam shifted uncomfortably on the spot and Amy narrowed her eyes at Zachariah.

Zachariah turned back to Dean. "You had a chance to stop your brother, and you couldn't. So let's not quibble over who started what. Let's just say it was all our faults and move on. 'Cause like it or not it's Apocalypse Now. And we're back on the same team again."

Dean nodded slowly. "Is that so?"

"You want to kill the devil," Zachariah said. "We want you to kill the devil. It's...synergy."

"And I'm just supposed to trust you?" Dean asked. "Cram it with walnuts, ugly," he snapped.

Zachariah frowned. "This isn't a game, son. Lucifer is powerful in ways that defy description. We need to strike now, hard and fast—before he finds his vessel."

Amy glanced over at Sam. She saw Chuck do the same.

"His vessel?" Sam asked. "Lucifer needs a meat suit?"

"He is an angel." Zachariah chuckled as he turned to the angels behind him. "Them's the rules." He stopped laughing and turned back to the others. "And when he touches down, we're talking Four Horsemen, red oceans, fiery skies, the greatest hits. You can stop him, Dean, but you need our help."

Dean frowned. "You listen to me, you two-faced douche. After what you did, I don't want jack squat from you!"

Zachariah took a menacing step forward. "You listen to me, boy! You think you can rebel against us? As Lucifer did?"

Zachariah suddenly stopped talking as blood began to drip on the floor next to Dean. "You're bleeding," he said pointedly.

Dean smirked. "Oh, yeah—a little insurance policy in case you dicks showed up." He pulled out the sliding kitchen door that he had drawn the banishing sigil on and slammed his palm down on it.

Amy quickly turned away, shielding her eyes. She heard Zachariah scream "No!" as a flash of bright light engulfed the room. When the light was gone, she looked back to see that Zachariah and the other angels were gone.

"Learned that from my friend Cas, you son of a bitch," Dean shouted.

"This sucks ass," Chuck said.

"Seriously," Amy muttered. She turned to Sam and Dean. "Now what?"

"Let's find a motel nearby," Dean said. "We can figure things out from there."

"I think I saw a motel down the street when we drove up here," Sam recalled. "Uh, not the one we stayed at last time," he added at Dean's look.

Dean nodded. "Okay, yeah. We should get going, then. Before those sons of bitches come back."

Sam and Dean began making their way through what was left of the living room. Amy trailed behind them, following them to the front door.

As she reached the front door, Amy caught a glimpse of something moving in the corner of her eye. She turned around to see the living room cleaning itself up. Something moved under her foot and she lifted it up to see a shard of glass fly over to the broken window nearby, fixing the hole in the pane. She glanced over at Chuck, who was busy repairing his house. Without another word, she headed outside and got back in the rental car with Sam and Dean.

* * *

Dean drove them to the Regent Inn Hotel down the street. They checked into room thirty-five and headed inside. Sam dropped his bag on his bed, then left, saying there was something he needed to do.

Amy sat with Dean in silence as they loaded up their guns. Sam returned ten minutes later, pulling out two small bags and tossing one to Dean and the other to Amy.

"Hex bags," Sam explained as Amy examined the bag Sam had tossed her. "No way the angels will find us with those. Demons, either, for that matter."

"Where'd you get it?" Dean asked.

"I made it."

"How?"

Sam hesitated and Dean looked up at him. "I...I learned it from Ruby," he finally admitted.

Dean put his gun down and stood up. "Speaking of," Dean said as he approached Sam. "How you doing? Are you jonesing for another hit of bitch blood or what?"

"I-it's weird. Uh, tell you the truth, I'm fine," Sam admitted. "No shakes, no fever. It's like whoever...put me on that plane cleaned me right up."

"Supernatural methadone," Dean concluded.

"Yeah, I guess." Sam paused. "Dean—"

Amy sighed. "Here we go," she whispered to herself.

"Sam." Dean turned away. "It's okay. You don't have to say anything."

Sam breathed a sigh of relief. "Well, that's good. Because what can I even say? "I'm sorry"? "I screwed up"? Doesn't really do it justice, you know? Look, there's nothing I can do or say that will ever make this right—"

"So why do you keep bringing it up?!" Dean snapped, turning back to Sam. "Look, all I'm saying is, why do we have to put this under a microscope? We made a mess. We clean it up. That's it."

Sam nodded.

"All right, so, say this is just any other hunt. You know? What do we do first?"

"We'd, uh, figure out where the thing is."

Dean nodded. "All right. So we just got to find...the devil."

"He's not gonna go very far without a vessel," Amy said. "Our best bet is probably somewhere around Ilchester."

Sam pulled out his laptop. "I'll look for any weird weather patterns around there." He sat down at the table and opened up his computer.

* * *

**May 15th, 2009**

The next morning, Dean flipped on the T.V., switching to the news. Amy sat on the bed next to him to watch.

"How would you then explain an earthquake, a hurricane, and multiple tornadoes, all at the same time, all around the globe?" a reporter asked.

"Two words," another reporter said, holding up two fingers. "Carbon emissions."

Dean scoffed. "Yeah, right, wavy gravy."

There was a knock on the door. Dean pulled out his gun while Sam went to open the door.

"Maybe it's Chuck?" Amy whispered.

Dean shook his head. "He would have called ahead."

Sam opened the door and Amy saw a woman with blonde hair, wearing a green plaid shirt under a brown jacket, standing in the doorway. Amy recognized her instantly. Becky.

"Oh, boy," Amy whispered.

Dean leaned over to her, staring at Becky, who was breathing too heavily to even speak. "You know who that is?"

Amy nodded. "Unfortunately."

"You okay, lady?" Sam asked.

"Sam...is it really you?" Becky asked, her voice breaking.

Sam looked back at Dean and Becky took the opportunity to step forward, placing a hand on Sam's chest. Dean put his gun away.

"And you're so firm," she said with a laugh.

"Uh, do I know you?" Sam asked.

Becky pulled her hand back. "No. But I know you. You're Sam Winchester. And you're-" she turned to Dean, frowning, "—not what I pictured." She turned to Amy last, looking her up and down. "Neither are you." Becky smiled back up at Sam. "I'm Becky."

Becky pushed past Sam and walked into the room. "I read all about you guys," she said. "And I've even written a few-" she glanced down, letting out a childish giggle, before clearing her throat. "Anyway, Mr. Edlund told me where you were."

Dean stood up. "Chuck?"

"What did he say?" Amy asked, standing up as well.

"He's got a message, but he's being watched," Becky said as Sam closed the door. "Angels. Nice change-up to the mythology, by the way. The demon stuff was getting kind of old."

Sam crossed his arms, obviously wanting the conversation to be over. "Right. Just, um...what's the message?"

"He had a vision." She closed her eyes and moved her hand through the air as she relayed the message to them. "The Michael sword is on earth. The angels lost it."

"The Michael sword?" Dean asked.

"Becky, does he know where it is?"

"In a castle, on a hill made of forty-two dogs."

"In a...huh?" Amy asked. "You sure you got that right?"

Becky nodded. "It doesn't make sense, but that's what he said. I memorized every word." She stepped closer to Sam and put a hand on his chest. "For you."

Sam glanced at Dean and Amy, then back at Becky.

"Um, Becky, c—uh, can you...quit touching me?" Sam stuttered out nervously.

Becky closed her eyes, rubbing her hand along Sam's chest. "No."

Amy cleared her throat. "Well, I guess we better get going then," she said. "Long drive ahead of us."

Dean picked up on the hint. "Uh, yeah." He cleared his throat. "Yeah. Big, long, super long drive so we, uh, we need to leave right...right now. This very second." He grabbed Becky by the arm, pulling her off of his brother. "Thanks for stopping by." He opened the room door and pushed Becky out into the hallway.

Becky leaned over at Sam as Dean closed the door. "I love you," she whispered. The door closed in her face.

Amy burst out laughing as Dean turned back to the room. "Oh my god, I can't," she said in between laughs.

"You know who that was?" Dean asked.

Amy nodded. "Becky Rosen. She's read Chuck's books, is in love with Sam, and is maybe," she held up her hand, holding two fingers close together, "just a teeny, tiny bit," lacing her fingers together, she finished her sentence, "absolutely, extremely obsessed with him. You know, if you couldn't tell from...that."

Sam cleared his throat. "So, uh, forty-two dogs," he said, changing the subject. "What do you suppose Chuck meant by that?"

Dean pulled out his phone. "I'll call Bobby. He might be able to help with this. I'll tell him to bring Baby, too."

Sam nodded in agreement. Dean flipped open his phone and dialed Bobby's number. He walked over to the other side of the room as he put his phone to his ear.

Sam had moved to the table and was now flipping through his dad's journal. Amy sat down across from him. "Find anything?"

Sam frowned at her. "It's only been a minute."

Amy shrugged. "Are you sure your dad's journal would have the answer to that riddle, though?"

Sam shrugged, turning back to the journal. "Dunno. Dad wrote a lot of stuff in here. It's possible something might give us a clue."

Dean walked back over to them, ending his call with Bobby. "Alright, thanks, Bobby. We'll see you in a bit." He hung up the phone.

"Bobby's on his way," he told them. "Should be here by this evening."

Sam nodded. "Okay. I'm gonna keep looking through dad's journal. See if there's anything in here that could help us."

"Anything I can do?" Amy asked.

"Just sit tight for now," Dean said. "There won't be much to do until Bobby gets here with his books."

Amy nodded. She stood up from the table and made her way over to the bed, grabbing the remote. Throwing herself down on the mattress, she flipped on the T.V and began flipping through channels.

* * *

Later that evening, there was a knock at the door. Dean opened it to reveal Bobby on the other side.

"Hey, Bobby." Dean let out a laugh as Bobby pulled him into a hug.

Bobby slapped Dean on the back. "Good to see you boys all in one piece." Sam grinned as Bobby pulled him into a hug as well.

Amy walked over. "Hi, Bobby," she greeted, grinning as Bobby pulled her into a hug last.

Dean closed the door. "You weren't followed, were you?"

"You mean by angels, demons-" Bobby turned to Sam "-or Sam's new superfan?"

Sam let out a nervous laugh. "You heard."

"I heard, Romeo," Bobby confirmed. He turned to Dean. "So...sword of Michael, huh?"

"You think we're talking about the actual sword from the actual archangel?" Dean asked.

"I don't remember there being an actual sword in the show," Amy said, thinking out loud.

"Well, you better friggin' hope there is. I've got some books in the car that might help. Let me run down and grab them real quick." Bobby headed out of the room.

Dean made himself a cup of coffee while Bobby went back downstairs. A few minutes later, Bobby returned, holding a small pile of books. He set the smaller ones on the bed and put the largest one down on the table by the window, sitting down. Sam and Amy each pulled a chair up to the table, sitting on either side of Bobby.

Bobby opened it up to a painting of who Amy figured was Michael, holding a sword. "That's Michael. Toughest son of a bitch they got." Sam flipped to a different picture.

Dean walked behind them, holding his coffee. He leaned in to look at the picture and scoffed. "You kidding me? Tough? That guy looks like Cate Blanchett."

"Well, I wouldn't want to meet him in a dark alley, believe me," Bobby retorted. "He commands the heavenly host. During the last big dust-up upstairs, he's the one who booted Lucifer's ass to the basement. Did it with that sword." Bobby pointed to the sword in Michael's hand. "So if we can find it..."

"We can kick the devil's ass all over again," Sam finished. "All right. So, where do we start?"

"Divvy up and start reading," Bobby said, "try and make sense of Chuck's nonsense."

Bobby watched as Sam stood up and headed for the pile of books in his eyes. Amy saw anger flashing in his eyes.

"You've really got some nerve, kid," Bobby growled to Sam, "you know that?"

Sam turned around. "What?" he asked.

"Killing Lilith?" Bobby asked. "Starting Armageddon even after you were warned about Lilith and Ruby?"

Sam looked over at Dean and Amy. They stayed silent.

"You're right," he finally said. "I killed Lilith, and I set Lucifer free. Amy tried to warn me about this, but I didn't listen. I brought this on."

Bobby rose from his seat and walked closer to Sam. "You're damn right you didn't listen," he said. "You were reckless and selfish and arrogant."

Sam's breath was shaky. "I'm sorry."

Bobby moved closer, getting in Sam's face. "Oh, yeah? You're sorry you started Armageddon? This kind of thing don't get forgiven, boy. If, by some miracle, we pull this off...I want you to lose my number."

"Bobby!" Amy exclaimed in shock. Dean held out a hand to stop her, shaking his head.

"You understand me?" Bobby continued.

Sam nodded. The expression on his face didn't change. He had been expecting this. "There's an old church nearby," he said shakily. "Maybe I'll go read some of the lore books there."

"Yeah. You do that."

Sam hesitated for a moment, before turning and heading out the door. Bobby watched him leave, before heading back to the table.

Amy didn't say anything. She didn't know what to say. She silently grabbed a book off the bed and sat down, opening to the first page.

* * *

An hour later, Bobby broke the silence. The three hunters had been focused on researching anything they could find on the sword.

"I never would have guessed that your daddy was right," Bobby said.

"About what?" Dean asked, not looking up from his book.

"About your brother."

Dean looked up at that.

"What John said—you save Sam or kill him. Maybe..." Bobby trailed off.

"Maybe what?"

"Maybe we shouldn't have tried so hard to save him."

Dean sighed. "Bobby."

Amy frowned. Something about this didn't seem right. This didn't sound like the Bobby she knew. He would never willingly suggest they leave Sam for dead. Everything about this was wrong.

"He ended the world, Dean," Bobby argued. "And we weren't strong enough to stop him proper. That's on us. I'm just saying, your dad was right."

Realization crossed Dean's face. "Dad." He hurried over to his bag and pulled out a Ziplock bag full of cards. "It's got to be in here somewhere." He opened the bag and reached inside.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

Dean pulled out one of the cards. "Here." He walked back over to them. "I don't believe it."

"What is it?" Amy asked.

"It's a card for my dad's lockup in upstate New York." Dean handed Bobby the card. "Read it."

Bobby took the card, reading it. "Castle Storage. Forty-two Rover Hill."

"Castle on a hill of forty-two dogs," Dean and Amy said simultaneously. Dean took the card back.

"So you think your dad had the Michael sword all this time?" Bobby asked.

"That's one hell of a souvenir," Amy commented.

Dean shrugged. "I don't know. I'm not sure what else Chuck could have meant."

"Yeah. Okay." Bobby smiled menacingly. "It's good enough for me."

Bobby suddenly punched Dean, knocking him through the barrier between the kitchenette and the beds. Dean groaned as Bobby yanked him up, slamming him back down on the ground.

Amy rushed forward, grabbing demon-Bobby around the neck, but she was easily thrown off. The demon turned to her. He grabbed her by the shirt and pulled her into the air, before throwing her hard into the wall behind her.

The demon turned back to Dean, grabbing him by the throat and pulling him to his feet. Amy saw his eyes go black.

The room door opened and two more demons entered. The male demon closed the door behind them, standing in front of it.

Amy recognized the female demon instantly. Pink shirt under a black jacket, and brown hair that went a little past her shoulders. Meg.

Meg smirked at Dean. "I always knew you were a big, dumb, slow, dim pain in the ass, Dean." She turned her head, eyeing Ruby's knife on the table. "But I never dreamed you were so V.I.P." She picked up the knife and pointed it at Dean. "I mean, you're gonna ice the devil? You? If I'd have known that, I'd have ripped your pretty, pretty face off ages ago."

"Ruby."

"Try again," Meg said. "Go back further."

"Meg," Amy snarled, drawing Meg's attention to her. She struggled to her feet.

"I'm sorry," Meg said with a chuckle, "do I know you?"

Amy stood her ground, staring at Meg. "Nope," she stated. She lowered her voice to a whisper. "But I know you."

Meg smirked. She turned to the demon by the door. "Make sure she doesn't try anything."

The other demon gave Meg a small nod. Before Amy could react, he was behind her, holding her arms behind her back.

Meg turned back to Dean. "These are the days of miracle and wonder, Dean. Our father's among us. You know we're all dreaming again for the first time since we were human? It's heaven on earth." She tilted her head. "Or hell. We really owe your brother a fruit basket."

"My god, you like the sound of your own voice," Dean interrupted.

Meg ignored him. "But you, on the other hand, you're the only bump in the road. So every demon—every single one—is just dying for a piece of you."

Dean smirked. "Get in line."

"Oh, I'm in the front of the line, baby." Meg leaned close to Dean's face. "Let's ride." She grabbed Dean's chin, planting a kiss on his lips.

Dean groaned in frustration, coughing as Meg pulled away. "What is that? Peanut butter?" he asked.

"You know, your surrogate daddy's still awake screaming in there." Meg turned to demon-Bobby, handing him the demon knife. "And I want him to know how it feels slicing the life out of you."

'Bobby' raised the knife to Dean's throat. Dean started to struggle and the demon pinned him to the wall.

"Dean!" Amy struggled against the demon holding her, trying to break free from its grip. "No!"

'Bobby' turned back to Meg.

"Now!" Meg yelled impatiently.

The demon raised the knife in the air to stab Dean.

"Bobby! No!" Dean shouted.

"No!" Amy screamed as the knife was swung down. However, it missed Dean completely, burying itself in Bobby's stomach.

Bobby flashed with light a few times, before collapsing to the ground.

Dean immediately ran forward, punching Meg in the face. Amy kicked the demon holding her in the knee and elbowed him in the stomach. The demon dropped her and she spun around, landing a punch in the face before being thrown back into the wall. He walked up before she had a chance to get back up and began repeatedly punching her in the face.

Sam entered the room. He wildly looked around, seeing Bobby on the ground with a knife in his stomach and Dean and Amy getting beat up by demons. "No!" he screamed.

Meg stopped beating Dean and stood up, turning to Sam. "Heya, Sammy," she said. "You miss me? 'Cause I sure missed you."

"Meg?"

Meg grinned. Sam swung a punch but missed. Meg kicked him in the crotch and knocked him to the ground.

Dean quickly got up and rushed to the demon beating on Amy. He kicked him off of her and she rolled out of the way, scrambling to her feet as Dean punched the demon in the face.

Meg knelt down in front of Sam. "It's not so easy without those super-special demon powers, huh, Sammy?" She punched Sam in the face.

Amy kicked the feet out from underneath the male demon. Dean pulled the knife out from Bobby's stomach and stabbed the male demon in the chest. The demon flickered, before collapsing. Dean turned to Meg.

Meg stood up as Dean approached her. She backed away, before throwing her head back and letting out a scream as the black smoke rushed out of her mouth. The woman swayed for a bit, before collapsing to the ground.

Amy rushed over to Bobby and felt his pulse. It was still there. "He's still alive," she told the others.

Sam and Dean rushed over. They pulled Bobby to his feet and Amy pulled open the door for them.

They hurried out to the Impala. Sam and Dean lay Bobby down in the backseat and Amy squeezed in next to him as Dean sped to the hospital.

The Winchesters carried Bobby into the hospital. Amy had to run to keep up as they burst through the doors.

"Need some help here!" Dean called frantically.

A nurse ran over to them. "What happened?"

"He was stabbed," Sam explained.

The nurse looked over her shoulder. "Can we get a gurney?" she called.

Two other nurses rushed a gurney over. The first nurse grabbed it and pulled it over to Bobby.

Sam and Dean lay Bobby down on the gurney.

"Hang on, Bobby," Dean said. "Hang in there. You're gonna be okay."

The two nurses who brought the gurney rushed Bobby off. Sam, Dean, and Amy attempted to follow, but the first nurse stopped them. "Just wait here," she instructed.

"He's our friend," Amy said, panic rising in her voice.

"We can't just leave him," Sam added.

The nurse held out her hand. "Just don't move," she ordered. "I've got questions." She walked away, eyeing them suspiciously.

Sam rubbed a nervous hand through his hair and leaned back against the wall. He was breathing heavily.

"Sammy, we got to go," Dean said.

Sam shook his head. "No. No way, Dean."

"The demons heard where the sword is," Dean continued. "We got to get to it before they do if we're not too late already. Come on!"

Sam nodded and the three of them quickly made their way out to the car. They climbed back in and Dean started the engine, speeding off towards New York.

* * *

**Buffalo, New York**

A few hours later, they reached the Castle Storage place in New York. They got out of the car and circled around to the trunk, silently loading shotguns and pistols.

Dean led them to John's storage unit. Sam and Amy stood watch for demons while he unlocked the door.

Amy held her shotgun at the ready as she followed Sam and Dean into the storage unit. There was a devil's trap directly in front of the entrance and two dead bodies that lay sprawled across it. They moved further into the unit, looking around for any sign of more demons.

"I see you told the demons where the sword is."

Amy turned around, aiming her shotgun at the noise. Zachariah stood behind them with the two angels from Chuck's.

"Oh, thank god," Dean said sarcastically. "The angels are here."

Dean walked forward, stepping over one of the corpses. "And to think...they could have grabbed it any time they wanted." He waved a hand, closing the sliding door. "It was right in front of them."

"What do you mean?" Sam asked.

"He means Dean," Amy informed him.

Dean turned to her. "What?"

"Oh, she's right," Zachariah said. "Again. We may have planted that particular piece of prophecy inside Chuck's skull, but it happened to be true. We did lose the Michael sword," he admitted. "We truly couldn't find it. Until now. You've just hand-delivered it to us." He turned to Dean.

Dean scoffed. "We don't have anything."

Zachariah stared at Dean in disbelief and took a deep breath. "It's you, chucklehead," he revealed. "You're the Michael sword."

Dean stared at the angel, not saying anything. After a moment, he turned to Amy. "Did you know about this?"

Amy nodded. "I forgot about it in the midst of everything happening yesterday, but yeah, I knew."

"What, you thought you could actually kill Lucifer?" Zachariah asked. The amused tone in his voice didn't go unnoticed. "You simpering wad of insecurity and self-loathing? No. You're just a human, Dean." He stepped over the other corpse as he walked around the devil's trap. "And not much of one," he muttered.

"What do you mean, I'm the sword?" Dean demanded.

"You're Michael's vessel," Amy explained.

Dean cast Amy a quick glance, before turning back to Zachariah. "How? Why—why me?"

"Because you're chosen!" Zachariah exclaimed. "It's a great honor, Dean."

"Oh, yeah. Yeah, life as an angel condom. That's real fun," Dean said sarcastically. "I think I'll pass, thanks."

Zachariah shook his head. "Joking," he whispered. "Always joking. Well...no more jokes."

The angel raised one hand, his fingers pointed like a gun and aimed at Dean. He suddenly shifted his hand over to Sam. "Bang."

Amy heard a loud crunch and Sam fell the ground. She saw Zachariah aim his hand at her and say "bang" again.

Amy felt the bones in both of her legs snap in half. Pain shot through her legs as they buckled underneath her, dropping her to the ground.

"God!" Sam groaned out in pain.

"Sam!"

"You son of a bitch!" Dean snapped.

"Keep mouthing off, I'll break more than their legs," Zachariah threatened. "I am completely and utterly through screwing around. The war has begun. We don't have our general. That's bad. Now, Michael is going to take his vessel and lead the final charge against the adversary." He took a menacing step forward. "You understand me?"

"How about you guys fuck off?" Amy asked through the pain in her legs. "Is that an option?"

"How many humans die in the crossfire, huh?" Dean demanded. "A million? Five, ten?"

Zachariah shrugged. "Probably more. If Lucifer goes unchecked, you know how many die? All of them. He'll roast the planet alive."

"There's a reason you're telling me this instead of just nabbing me," Dean realized. "You need my consent. Michael needs my say-so to ride around in my skin."

Zachariah stared coldly at Dean. "Unfortunately, yes."

Dean shook his head. "Well, there's got to be another way."

"There is no other way," Zachariah said forcefully. "There must be a battle. Michael must defeat the serpent. It is written."

"Yeah, maybe. But, on the other hand..." Dean paused for a moment. "Eat me. The answer's no."

Zachariah sighed. "Okay. How about this? Your friend Bobby—we know he's gravely injured. Say yes, and we'll heal him. Say no, he'll never walk again."

Amy glanced up at Dean. He seemed to be considering the option. "No," he finally answered weakly.

"Then how about we heal you from...stage-four stomach cancer?"

Dean suddenly started coughing. He doubled over, coughing a small pool of blood into his palm. "No," he strained.

"Then let's get really creative. Uh, let's see how...Amy does without her lungs."

Amy suddenly found herself unable to breathe. She tried to draw in air, but to no avail. The air had nowhere to go. She rolled onto her back, trying desperately to fight the panic growing in her empty chest.

"Are we having fun yet?" Amy heard Zachariah ask. "You're going to say yes, Dean."

"Just kill us," Dean groaned.

"Kill you?" Zachariah laughed. "Oh, no. I'm just getting started."

There was a sudden flash of bright white light. Amy didn't turn to see who it was. She was too busy focused on the fact that she was slowly dying. She heard fighting next to her.

"How are you..." Zachariah trailed off.

Amy heard Castiel's voice. "Alive?" he asked. "That's a good question. How did these three end up on that airplane? Another good question. 'Cause the angels didn't do it. I think we both know the answer, don't we?"

Amy closed her eyes as she drifted off into unconsciousness. The voices of Castiel and Zachariah now sounded distant and muffled.

* * *

The next thing Amy felt was cold air rush into her lungs and the pain in her legs subside. She opened her eyes, but continued lying on the ground, taking several breaths.

After a few moments, she slowly stood back up. Castiel stood in front of them, no longer dead.

"You two need to be more careful," the angel told them as he walked forward.

"Yeah, I'm starting to get that," Dean agreed. "Your frat brothers are bigger dicks than I thought."

"I don't mean the angels. Lucifer is circling his vessel." Cas glanced over at Sam. "And once he takes it, those hex bags won't be enough to protect you."

Cas turned to Sam and Dean, placing a hand on their chests. Sam and Dean suddenly gasped.

"What the hell was that?" Dean asked, clutching his chest.

"An Enochian sigil," Cas explained as he turned to Amy. "It'll hide you from every angel in creation, including Lucifer." He placed a hand on Amy's chest, and she felt a painful sensation shot through her chest. It felt weird, like someone had just pushed hard on her ribs.

"What, did you just brand us with it?" Dean asked.

"No. I carved it into your ribs," Cas stated.

"Cas..." Amy trailed off. "We thought you were dead."

Castiel paused. "I was," he finally admitted.

"Then how are you back?" Dean asked.

Instead of answering, there was a gust of wind and Cas disappeared.

They stood there in silence for several seconds. Finally, Dean spoke.

"We should get back to Ohio. We can visit Bobby in the hospital tomorrow, see how he's doing." He walked towards the door leading out of the storage unit, sliding it open. Sam and Amy followed him out to the Impala.

* * *

**Kripke's Hollow, Ohio**

They got back to the hospital around 8PM. Dean led them to the reception desk and got Bobby's room number. He led them to room 113 and they headed inside. Bobby was sitting in a hospital bed. There was a doctor standing in the room, talking to Bobby.

The hunters leaned against the wall as the doctor told Bobby there was a chance he would spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair.

"Unlikely to walk again?!" Bobby snapped. "Why, you snot-nosed son of a bitch! Wait till I get out of this bed!"

The doctor quickly ran out of the room, looking terrified.

"I'll use my game leg and kick your friggin' ass!" Bobby called after the young doctor. "Yeah, you better run!" He looked over at the others. "You believe that yahoo?"

"Screw him. You'll be fine," Dean told him.

There was a long pause.

"So, let me ask the million-dollar question," Sam finally said. "What do we do now?"

Bobby's face fell. "Well... We save as many as we can for as long as we can, I guess. It's bad. Whoever wins, heaven or hell, we're boned."

"What if we win?" Dean asked confidently.

Amy and Bobby turned to Dean, staring at him.

"I'm serious," Dean said when he saw their faces. "I mean, screw the angels and the demons and their crap apocalypse. Hell, they want to fight a war, they can find their own planet." He started slowly walking around to the other side of Bobby's bed. "This one's ours, and I say they get the hell off it. We take 'em all on. We kill the devil. Hell, we even kill Michael if we have to. But we do it our own damn selves."

"And how are we supposed to do all this, genius?" Bobby asked.

"I got no idea," Dean admitted. "But what I do have is a GED and a give-'em-hell attitude, and I'll figure it out."

Amy shook her head in amusement. "You're insane."

"It's been said." Dean pat Bobby on the shoulder. "Listen, you stay on the mend. We'll see you in a bit."

Dean headed for the door. Sam and Amy followed.

"Sam?"

Sam stopped at the foot of Bobby's bed. Amy and Dean turned back into the room to hear what Bobby had to say to him

"I was awake." There was a long pause. "I know what I said back there," Bobby continued. "I just want you to know that...that _was_ the demon talking. I ain't cutting you out, boy. Not ever."

There was another long pause until Sam breathed a sigh of relief. "Thanks, Bobby."

Bobby gave Sam a small smile. "You're welcome. I deserve a damn medal for this, but...you're welcome."

Sam turned away from the bed and they walked out of the room, heading out to the parking lot.

"You know," Sam said as they walked outside. "I was thinking, Dean—maybe we could go after the Colt."

"Why?" Dean asked. "What difference would that make?"

"Well, we could use it on Lucifer," Sam suggested. "I mean, you just said back there—"

Dean cut him off. "I just said a bunch of crap for Bobby's benefit." He stopped in the middle of the road, turning around to face Sam. "I mean, I'll fight. I'll fight till the last man, but let's at least be honest. I mean, we don't stand a snowball's chance, and you know that. I mean, hell, you of all people know that." Dean turned back around and began walking towards the car.

Amy opened her mouth to say something, but decided now probably wasn't the best time. When would be the best time to tell them that Lucifer was one of the things the Colt couldn't kill? After they got it? Sometime before? How far before they went after Lucifer did they get the Colt? Wasn't there someone who was killed when they tried to go after Lucifer with the Colt in the show?

"Dean..." Sam trailed off. Dean stopped again, turning back around. "Is there something you want to say to me?"

There was a long pause before Dean finally spoke. "I tried, Sammy. I mean, I really tried. Amy tried. I tried. But I just can't keep pretending that everything's all right. Because it's not. And it's never going to be." He paused, looking his brother in the eyes. "Even after learning the truth, even after we learned early on that Lilith was the final seal, you still chose a demon over me and Amy and look what happened."

"I would give anything—anything—to take it all back," Sam said quietly.

Dean sighed. "I know you would. And I know how sorry you are. I do. But, man...you were the one that I depended on the most. You had every chance to back out and you let me down in ways that I can't even..." Dean trailed off, struggling to come up with the words. "I'm just—I'm having a hard time forgiving and forgetting here. You know?"

"What can I do?"

Dean chuckled. "Honestly? Nothing," he admitted.

Sam looked down and gave a small nod.

"I just don't...I don't think that we can ever be what we were. You know?"

Sam nodded again.

"I just don't think I can trust you."

At this, Sam looked back up. Shock flashed across his face.

Dean shook his head as he turned and walked away. Amy slowly followed without a word as Dean paused at the trunk of the Impala and looked back at Sam, who hadn't moved. He opened the driver's door and got in.

Amy slid into the back, sliding down until she was lying across the seat. She didn't feel like saying anything at that moment and angering Dean.

After a few, long moments, Sam finally moved. He walked solemnly to the Impala and opened the passenger door, getting into the front. He turned his head away from Dean, looking out the window.

Nobody said a word as Dean started the engine and pulled out of the parking lot. They started driving down the road, looking for a new motel to stay the night in.


	32. Good God, Y'all

**May 18th, 2009 - Kripke's Hollow, Ohio**

**Saint Martin's Hospital**

They stayed at a different motel in Ohio while they waited for Bobby to be released, coming to visit him every day at the hospital until that day arrived.

It had been three days since Bobby had last spoken. Amy stood outside the doorway with Sam as they watched the old hunter sit in a wheelchair and stare out the window.

As they watched Bobby, Dean came down the hallway, holding a manila envelope. He stopped at the door, leaning against the frame. "What's it been like three days now?" he asked. Sam sighed. "We got to cheer him up. Maybe I'll give him a backrub."

"Have fun with that," Amy muttered.

Sam turned to his brother. "Dean."

"Well, what, then?"

Sam sighed. "Look...we might have to wrap our heads around the idea that Bobby might not just bounce back this time," he said quietly.

There was a brief pause.

"What's in the envelope?" Sam asked after a moment.

Amy looked down at the envelope in Dean's hand. It read 'X-Ray' in big, red, letters.

"Went to radiology," Dean explained as he opened the envelope and pulled a photo out. "Got some glamour shots."

He handed Sam the photo and Amy leaned on his arm to see. It was a chest x-ray of Dean's ribs. Carved into each rib were strange symbols stretching across every visible inch of the ribcage.

"What the..." Amy trailed off.

"Let's just say the doctors are baffled," Dean said, glancing around.

"Holy crap," Sam said.

"Yeah, well, Cas carved you two one, too," Dean reminded them.

Sam's phone began to ring. He answered it. "Hello?" Confusion flashed across his face. "Castiel?"

"Speak of the devil," Dean muttered.

"Ah, St. Martin's Hospital. Why? What are you-" Sam stopped mid-sentence. "Cas?" He glanced at the screen before hanging up the phone.

"What was that about?" Amy asked.

"He, uh, wanted to know where we were," Sam explained.

Castiel suddenly appeared, walking down the hall towards them as he passed two doctors pushing a cart.

"Cell phone, Cas?" Dean asked as the angel reached them. "Really? Since when do angels need to reach out and touch someone?"

"You're hidden from angels now—all angels," Cas reminded him. "I won't be able to simply—"

"Enough foreplay," Bobby suddenly cut Cas off. "Get over here and lay your damn hands on."

Nobody moved. Bobby looked over his shoulder at them. "Get healing," he ordered. "Now."

"I can't," Cas admitted.

Bobby turned his wheelchair around to face them. "Say again?" he threatened.

Cas walked into the room. "I'm cut off from heaven and much of heaven's power," he explained. "Certain things I can do. Certain things I can't."

"You're telling me you lost your mojo just in time to get me stuck in this trap the rest of my life?" Bobby growled.

"I'm sorry."

"Shove it up your ass." Bobby turned back to the window.

"At least he's talking now," Dean muttered.

"I heard that," Bobby snapped.

Cas walked back over to them. "I don't have much time. We need to talk."

"What's going up?" Amy asked.

"Your plan to kill Lucifer," Cas began.

Dean nodded. "Yeah. You want to help?"

"No. It's foolish. It can't be done."

"Way to be blunt, Cas," Amy said.

"Yeah, thanks for the support," Dean agreed."

"But I believe I have the solution," Cas continued. "There is someone besides Michael strong enough to take on Lucifer. Strong enough to stop the apocalypse."

"Who's that?" Sam asked.

"The one who resurrected me and put you on that airplane. The one who began everything. God. I'm gonna find God."

Amy looked down, smirking slightly.

Dean ushered Sam and Amy into the room and closed the door. He turned back to Cas. "God?"

"Yes."

"God."

"Yes!" Cas exasperated. "He isn't in heaven. He has to be somewhere."

Amy looked back up, trying to make it look like she had no idea God was only a few miles from them.

Dean thought for a moment. "Try New Mexico," he joked. "I hear he's on a tortilla."

Cas frowned. "No, he's not on any flatbread."

Dean sighed. "Listen, Chuckles, even if there is a God, he is either dead—and that's the generous theory—"

"He is out there, Dean."

"—or he's up and kicking and doesn't give a rat's ass about any of us," Dean finished.

Cas glared at him.

"I mean, look around you, man." Dean walked further into the room, standing behind Cas. "The world is in the toilet. We are literally at the end of days here, and he's off somewhere drinking booze out of a coconut. All right?"

Cas spun around to face Dean. "Enough," he snapped. "This is not a theological issue. It's strategic. With God's help, we can win."

Dean chuckled. "It's a pipe dream, Cas."

Cas advanced on Dean. "I killed two angels this week," he said quietly. "My brothers. I'm hunted. I rebelled. And I did it, all of it, for you, and you failed. You and your brother destroyed the world and I lost everything, for nothing. All because you couldn't listen. So keep your opinions to yourself."

"What about Amy?" Dean asked.

"I warned you about Lilith and Ruby months ago!" Amy argued. "Told you what would happen if you listened to her!"

Cas turned back to Sam. "You chose not to listen to her and look at what happened."

Bobby turned back to them. "You didn't drop in just to tear us a new hole. What is it you want?" he asked.

"I did come for something. An amulet."

Amy nodded. "Dean's necklace."

Dean turned to her. "What?"

"She's right," Cas agreed. "It burns hot in God's presence. It'll help me find him." He turned to Amy. "Do you know where I should start?"

Amy shook her head. "Uh, no, sorry," she said quietly. "I've got no clue."

"A God EMF?" Sam asked. Cas nodded.

Dean pulled out his necklace. "What, this?"

Cas nodded again. "May I borrow it?"

"No."

"Dean. Give it to me," Cas ordered.

Dean paused, looking down at his necklace. After a moment, he took off the necklace. "All right, I guess." He held it out to Cas, pulling it back when the angel reached for it. "Don't lose it."

Cas took the necklace.

"Great. Now I feel naked," Dean muttered.

"I'll be in touch."

In the blink of an eye, Cas was gone. Amy sighed.

"When you find God, tell him to send legs!" Bobby shouted.

Amy walked over and stood by Sam and Bobby. "Cas is going to be...disappointed, to say the least," she muttered.

Dean leaned against the window. They stood there for a few seconds, then Bobby's phone.

Bobby answered his phone. "Hello?" There was a slight pause. "I can't hear you."

Pause.

"Where are you?"

Pause.

"Colora—Colorado?"

Another pause.

"River Pass, Colorado?"

Bobby paused again, then. "Rufus? You there? Ruf—Rufus?"

Gunshots could be heard over the line, then the call cut out. Bobby turned to the others.

"What's in River Pass?" Dean asked.

"Rufus. Sounded like trouble with demons. You three mind checking it out?"

Dean nodded. "Yeah. Few demons, nothing we can't handle." He pat Bobby on the shoulder. "You take care. We'll see you in a few days."

"See ya, Bobby," Amy muttered.

They left Bobby in the room and headed out to the Impala

* * *

**May 19th, 2009 - Pass, Colorado**

They reached River Pass early the next day. Dean drove over a bridge, slowing down when he reached the halfway point.

"Why are we stopping?" Amy asked.

"Bridge is out," Dean explained.

They got out of the car and Amy got a good look at what remained of the bridge. The middle section of the bridge had split and collapsed, hanging only by a few metal pieces. A ramp made by the fallen sections led down to the rest of the bridge, which lay in the river below. The river wasn't too deep, and there were hundreds of stones to walk on, but getting the Impala across would be impossible.

Dean kicked a rock over the edge. "This is the only road in or out."

Sam pulled out his cell-phone, holding it up. "No signal," he informed them.

"Rufus was right. Demons got this place locked down," Dean said.

Amy looked over the edge. "How are we supposed to get in?"

"Looks like the only way is across the river," Sam said. "Guess we're hiking in."

Dean sighed. "And the hits just keep on coming."

They circled around to the back of the Impala. Dean opened the weapons box in the trunk and passed out their shotguns and pistols, grabbing the demon knife as well. After they had loaded up on ammo, he closed the trunk back up and they headed for the edge of the bridge.

Amy wasted no time jumping over the edge. She slid on her feet partway down the ramp, running the rest of the way to the part of the bridge that covered the water below. When she reached the water, she looked back to see Sam and Dean carefully climbing down.

"You could have hurt yourself, you know," Dean scolded.

"How?" Amy asked. "It's not like I jumped into the river."

"Just, be more careful," Sam said as he joined them. "We don't need you to break your legs or anything."

Amy scoffed. "'Be more careful' says the guy who hunts monsters for a living." She turned around and grabbed the metal railing, which had bent down, forming a ladder up to the other side of the bridge, and climbed up.

Once Sam and Dean had rejoined her at the top, they headed into town. The neighborhood seemed deserted. They walked past a blue two-door sedan, which had been overturned in the empty street. Amy watched as Sam and Dean ducked down to examine it, shotguns ready. Sam shook his head, telling them it was empty, and they carried on.

There was another car further up. The door was open and the engine was still running, indicating the driver had fled quickly. As they approached, Amy heard music playing from the radio. Sam reached into the car and turned off the engine. Silence fell once more.

They continued walking, passing a banner hanging over the street that welcomed people to the seventy-fifth anniversary of River Pass's pioneer days. There was a red classic Mustang near it. It was parked carefully by the sidewalk. Sam looked inside, walking away when he saw it was empty. Dean smiled admirably at the car and whistled, before following his brother.

Amy paused at the Mustang as she studied it. There was something about it, something to do with the show, that seemed familiar. But why would a Mustang remind her about something?

Brushing off the thought, Amy hurried off to catch up with Sam and Dean. Further up the road, there was a silver car with the windshield shattered. A trail of blood led out of the car and there was a baby stroller lying underneath the left front wheel.

They continued on. The hunters hadn't gotten very far before Amy heard the familiar sound of a gun being cocked. She spun around, gun poised, then lowered it. Ellen stood behind them, gun aimed. Amy had only met her once before, when she first met Sam, Dean, and Bobby. She wondered if Ellen remembered her.

"Ellen?" Sam asked.

Ellen kept the gun trained on them. "Hello, boys."

Dean glanced between Sam and Amy. Ellen lowered her gun, stepping closer.

"Ellen, what the heck's going on here?" Dean asked.

In response, Ellen splashed Dean in the face with holy water and raised her gun back up. Dean closed his eyes for a moment in annoyance. "We're us."

Ellen lowered her gun and walked past them without a word. The hunters exchanged a glance, before reluctantly following her.

"What is going on around here?" Amy whispered to Dean.

"I don't know," Dean said. "But I imagine we're going to find out soon enough."

Ellen led them to a nearby church. They stepped inside a doorway that had a devil's trap drawn in front of it and a line of salt across the threshold. Once they had crossed the trap and salt line with no problems, Ellen turned back to them.

"Real glad to see you boys," she said shakily, pulling Dean into a hug. After a moment, she pulled back, slapping Dean hard across the face. "The can of whoopass I ought to open on you."

Dean gingerly touched his face. "Ow!"

"You can't pick up a phone?" Ellen scolded. "What are you, allergic to giving me peace of mind?" She cast an angry glance at Sam. "I got to find out that you're alive from Rufus?"

"Sorry, Ellen," Dean muttered.

"Yeah, you better be," Ellen snapped. "You better put me on speed dial, kid."

Dean gave a small nod. "Yes, ma'am." Amy smirked.

Ellen turned to her. "Who are you?"

"I'm Amy. We met once a couple years ago," Amy reminded her.

Ellen nodded. "Right. You still with Bobby?"

Amy pointed to Sam and Dean. "I spend more time hunting with these two now, but I've still got a room at Bobby's whenever we go there."

"Hmm." Ellen turned and led them further into the room.

"What's going on, Ellen?" Dean asked as they walked down a set of stairs.

"More than I can handle alone."

"How many demons are there?" Sam chimed in.

"Pretty much the whole town, minus the dead people and these guys." Ellen gestured to a closed door behind her. "So, this is it, right? End times?"

Sam and Dean exchanged a glance. Amy looked down, deciding not to say anything.

"It's got to be," Ellen continued.

"Seems like it," Sam muttered.

Ellen turned to the door and knocked on it. "It's me."

A peephole slid open and then the door opened up. Ellen walked through the door and Sam and Dean followed. Amy walked in last, hearing the door close behind her. She glanced behind her, seeing a young man standing by the door, holding a rifle. She turned back to the room.

Amy counted a total of seven other people inside. Four people, one of them pregnant, sat at a table. A young man sat behind the pregnant woman with his arm around her.

"This is Sam, Dean, and Amy," Ellen explained. "They're hunters. Here to help."

"You guys hip to this whole demon thing?" the man by the door asked.

Dean turned to him. "Yeah. Are you?"

"My wife's eyes turned black," an older man at the table with glasses said. "She came at me with a brick. Kind of makes you embrace the paranormal."

Dean frowned. He turned to Ellen. "All right, catch us up."

"I doubt I know much more than you. Rufus called. Said he was in town investigating omens. All of a sudden, the whole town was possessed. Me and Jo were nearby—"

"You're hunting with Jo?" Dean interrupted.

"Yeah, for a while now. We got here, and the place—well, the place was like you see it. Couldn't find Rufus, then me and Jo got separated. I was out looking when I found you."

"Don't worry, we'll find her," Dean promised.

"Either way, these people cannot just sit here." Sam added. "We got to get them out now."

Amy looked around the room. She frowned, her eyes falling back on the man with glasses, who kept playing with a gold ring on his finger. She briefly remembered something about the four horsemen and how they each had a ring.

Ellen shook her head. "No, it's not that easy. I've been trying. We already made a run for it once."

"What happened?"

"There used to be twenty of us." Ellen left the rest unsaid.

Dean paused, looking around at the small group of remaining people. "Well, there's four of _us_ now," he said helpfully.

Ellen scoffed. "You don't know what it's like out there. Demons are everywhere. We won't be able to cover everybody."

"What if we get everyone guns?"

"What, are you gonna arm up baby bump over here?" Dean nodded towards the pregnant woman, whose nervousness was now evident.

"More salt we can fire at once, more demons we can keep away," Sam reminded him.

Dean looked over at the group, then back to Sam and Amy. "There's a sporting goods store we passed on Main on the way in," he told them. "I bet they got guns." He dropped his bag next to the table. Sam and Amy dropped their bags next to his.

Sam turned to Ellen. "All right. You stay. We'll go."

"What about—"

Sam cut her off. "If Jo and Rufus are out there, we'll bring them back," he promised.

"We'll find them, Ellen," Amy assured her. "Don't worry."

The young man by the door opened it up and the three hunters walked outside. Dean stopped at the foot of the stairs, turning to Sam.

"Whoa whoa whoa whoa. Hold on." He gestured to Amy. "Why don't we just go?"

"What? Just you two?"

"Well, yeah. Somebody's got to stay here and start giving them Shotgun 101."

"Yeah. Ellen." Sam pushed Dean and started going upstairs. Dean reached a hand out, stopping him.

"No no no. It's gonna go a lot faster if you stay and help, okay?"

"While you two go get guns _and_ salt _and_ look for Jo and Rufus?" Sam questioned. He scoffed. "That's stupid."

"We can handle it."

Amy sighed in frustration. "Can we please just go already?" she asked. "The faster we find what we need, the faster we can get back and get these people out of here."

Sam stared at his brother for a moment. "You don't want me going out there," he suddenly realized.

"I didn't say that."

"Around demons."

"I didn't say that," Dean repeated.

"Fine, then let's go." Sam headed up the stairs.

Dean sighed. Amy tugged at his arm as she followed Sam upstairs. "Come on."

"I'll get the salt. You two get the guns," Sam said as they walked down the street, past the silver car with the shattered windshield.

"We'll go together."

"Dean, it's right there," Sam said in annoyance. "Can we at least do this like professionals?"

Without waiting for a reply, Sam headed in the direction of the Quick-Mart at the corner. Dean watched him for a moment, then turned and headed in the opposite direction. Amy started to follow, but Dean turned back around, stopping her.

"Hey, listen, I want you to go with him," Dean told her, nodding to Sam.

"What?" Amy asked, confused.

"Just...make sure he doesn't do anything."

Amy sighed. "You mean make sure he doesn't do anything demon-related?"

Dean nodded.

Amy sighed again, reluctantly turning to follow Sam. She paused, turning her head back to Dean. "He wasn't lying you know," she said. "The demon blood in his system and his powers? They really are gone." She turned back and ran after Sam.

Amy walked through the doors to the Quick-Mart. A bell chimed above her head and she looked around, not seeing Sam anywhere.

"Sam?" she called out quietly.

Sam's head appeared above one of the shelves. He frowned upon seeing Amy. "What are you doing here?"

Amy shook her head as she made her way towards Sam. "Sorry. Dean wanted me to come with you."

Sam sighed. "You mean he wanted you to keep an eye on me."

Amy nodded. "Yeah. I told him there was no need to but...well, you know Dean."

"Whatever," Sam muttered. He handed Amy a plastic bag. "Put some salt cans in here. As much as you can fit."

Amy took the bag, kneeling down next to Sam.

* * *

As they were filling up the bags, Sam and Amy heard the door open and the bell above the door chime.

Sam slowly stood up, looking over the shelf. After a moment, he knelt back down. "Demons," he whispered. "Two of them."

Amy nodded. "We can take them," she whispered. "You got the knife?"

Sam nodded. He started to reach for it, but froze when one of the demons walked to the fridge directly in front of them.

Amy frowned when the demon opened the fridge and began filling a backpack with water bottles. Why would a demon be stocking up on supplies.

Sam slowly reached for his shotgun, which was lying on top of the cans of salt. As his hand passed over the salt cans, he accidentally knocked over a few of them, alerting the demon.

The demon threw something at Sam, then rushed at them. It threw a punch at Sam, who dodged. Sam grabbed the demon by the shirt, shoving him into the wall. The demon grabbed Sam by the neck and they began to struggle.

The other demon suddenly grabbed Amy from behind, wrapping an arm around her neck. She dropped to her knees, causing the demon to lose his grip. She held out her hand and a shelf fell down on top of the demon, knocking it to the ground.

"Amy!" Sam called out.

Amy turned around to see the other demon on the ground and Sam holding the bloody demon knife. He tossed the knife to her and she caught it. Turning back around, she noticed that the demon was still on the ground under the shelf, trying to get out. Figuring the demon was trying to trick her, Amy quickly stabbed the knife into the demon's throat. It stopped moving, it's head dropping limply on the tile.

Amy frowned as Sam walked up to her. The demon hadn't flickered with light like they normally did.

"You okay?"

"Yeah," Amy said, still frowning, "but something isn't right here."

"What do you mean?"

"I'll tell you when we find Dean. He'll wanna hear this too."

As if on cue, the bell above the door chimed again. Sam quickly pulled Amy down.

"Sammy?" Dean's voice called out. "Amy?"

Sam sighed in relief, standing back up. Amy stood back up as Dean rounded the corner to the aisle they were in.

Dean spotted the demons on the ground. "What happened in here?" he asked.

"We were attacked by demons," Sam explained.

"If they even were demons," Amy muttered.

Sam and Dean turned to her. "What do you mean?" Sam asked.

"I told you something didn't seem right about this," Amy told Sam. "The demons didn't glow when we killed them. Come to think of it, they didn't use any of their normal demon powers."

"Are you sure?" Dean asked. "Maybe you just didn't notice during the fight."

Amy shook her head. "No, there's definitely something off about this. That red Mustang outside reminded me about something when we passed it, but I couldn't quite put my finger on what it was."

Sam and Dean exchanged a look.

"Let's get back to the church," Dean suggested. "We can figure out something there."

Sam and Amy nodded. Dean led them out of the store, grabbing the bag of guns on the way out. Amy wiped the blood off the demon knife, and pocketed it, before following them outside.

They walked back to the church. The young man from before let them in and they entered the room.

Dean looked around the room. He cleared his throat. "Alright," he began, "the three of us are gonna show you guys your way around these guns here." He pointed to the bag. "With enough of us armed, we should be able to get you guys out of town and to safety." The hunters started wordlessly distributing the guns to everyone, then split up into groups.

Dean showed two of the older men how to pack salt rounds. Once they were comfortable enough to pack the rounds on their own, he went over to the man who stood guard by the door, Austin.

Ellen worked with the man with the ring, Roger, and Michael, the pastor. Sam worked with the pregnant woman, whose name Amy learned was Genevieve and her husband, Josh. And Amy worked with Autumn, the only teenager of the group.

"How long has all this been going on?" Amy asked.

"Almost a week," Autumn said. "Started up last Thursday."

Amy gave her a small smile. "Don't worry. Sam, Dean, and I have a bit more experience with demons. We'll get you guys out of this."

Autumn smiled back. She nodded towards the shotgun sitting between them. "So, how does this all work?"

* * *

The hunters spent the next several minutes showing the small group how to work the guns. Autumn proved to be a fast learner, quickly picking up how to load the shotgun shells. Amy nodded in approval.

"Not bad," she praised. "You're a fast learner."

"I'm more of a hands on learner," Autumn explained. "You know what I mean?"

Amy nodded. "You do better by doing something, rather than listening and trying to memorize," she said. "I'm the exact same way."

"You are?"

"Oh, yeah," Amy confirmed. "Didn't really find out until high school, though. I would forget everything a teacher said the moment after they said it. But then I had that one teacher in high school-"

"Who noticed and decided to try a different teaching method?" Autumn finished.

"Exactly," Amy said with a small laugh.

* * *

Ten minutes later, Amy spotted Sam sitting in the corner by himself.

"Hey, you gonna be okay over here by yourself for a moment?" she asked. "I need to go talk to Sam real quick."

"No problem," Autumn said. "I've got the hang of this now, I think."

Amy gave the teen a quick smile, then headed over to Sam. Dean seemed to notice Sam sitting by himself as well, because he quickly joined her.

Amy sat down next to Sam. "You okay?"

Sam looked down, but didn't say anything.

Dean sat down on the other side of him. "What's wrong?"

"It's just...at the store," Sam began. "Those demons, if they were demons, were possessing teenagers. I mean, I had to slit some kid's throat. And if they weren't demons, like Amy thought, then I slit a human kid's throat."

Dean frowned. "Yeah, I've been thinking about that since we got back here." He leaned forward to look at Amy. "You said you didn't think they were demons?"

Amy shook her head. "No, I don't," she confirmed. "They didn't glow when we killed them and a shelf I pulled down on one seemed to pin it to the ground. It couldn't even get out from under it."

"So, any ideas on what it could be, if not demons?"

Amy frowned, trying to remember. "Do you remember what Zachariah said when we were at Chuck's house that day after all this went down and the cage was broken? About the horsemen?"

Sam frowned, turning to her. "You think we're dealing with a horseman?" he asked.

"I don't know for sure," Amy said. "I don't remember which one made their first appearance on the show. But I do remember one thing-" she turned her head towards Roger, who was fumbling a shotgun shell as he tried to load it "-they all wore rings."

Ellen suddenly stepped in front of them. "I'll be back."

The three hunters looked up. "Where you going?" Dean asked.

"I can't sit here on my ass," Ellen said. "My daughter's out there somewhere. I'm not back in half an hour, go. Get these people out of here." She started to turn away.

The Winchesters and Amy quickly stood up.

"No, wait. I'll go with you," Sam offered.

"Whoa, hold on." Dean turned to Sam. "Can I talk to you for a second?"

Sam and Dean headed out another door. Amy started to follow, but stopped, deciding it was better for them to talk alone.

"So," Ellen began, directing Amy's attention to her, "how long have you been hunting with Sam and Dean?"

"Little over a year." Amy leaned against the wall. "After that whole gate to Hell thing a couple years ago, I started living with Bobby-"

"Why'd Bobby let you live with him?" Ellen asked.

Amy shrugged. "I didn't have anywhere else to go at the time. No family. Anyway, he, uh, he showed me how to hunt and after a few cases with him, Sam and Dean started letting me hunt with them. That was last January, I think."

"Huh." Ellen nodded.

Sam and Dean came back into the room. They walked over to Ellen and Amy.

"Ready to go?" Sam asked.

Ellen nodded. "Yeah." She turned to Dean. "Remember. Half an hour, if I'm not back-"

"Get these people out of here," Dean finished.

Sam and Ellen each grabbed a shotgun and left.

Dean turned to Amy. "You figure out if we're really dealing with a horseman yet?"

"I'm pretty sure we are," Amy said, looking around the room, "I just don't know which one."

"Well figure it out," Dean instructed. "The faster we get this all figured out, the faster we can get back to Bobby."

Amy nodded. "Right."

* * *

Five minutes later, there was a pounding on the door. Dean quickly looked through the peephole, then moved what was blocking the door and opened it.

Ellen walked through the door, a solemn look on her face.

"Where's Sam?" Dean asked, noticing the lack of his brother.

Ellen looked at Dean but didn't say anything. She shook her head and sat down at the table next to Autumn, who handed her a water bottle.

"They took him?" Genevieve asked. "Demons took him?" Her voice started to shake. "Oh my god. What if they're in here? The demons?"

"Could they get in?" Michael asked.

"They shouldn't be able to," Amy said. "Getting past a devil's trap and salt line is something practically no demon can do." She let out a long breath. "Okay, I need to figure this out. When did all of this start?"

"Around the time Rufus first came into town, I think," Ellen said.

"Do you know why Rufus came to town?" Dean asked. "Was there a specific omen?"

Ellen shrugged. "He said something about water. That's all I know."

Dean turned to Michael. "Padré, you know what she's talking about—the water?"

"The river," Michael explained. "Ran polluted all of a sudden."

"Let me guess," Amy said, "last Wednesday?"

Austin nodded. "And the demon thing started up the next day."

"Anything else?" Amy asked.

Austin and Michael exchanged a glance. "Maybe, but it's pretty random," Austin said.

"Good. Random's good."

"Shooting star—does that count?"

Dean and Amy exchanged a glance.

"Real big," Austin continued. "Same night. Wednesday."

"That definitely counts," Dean agreed. He walked over to the bookshelf and pulled out a Bible, flipping through it.

"So, uh, you think that all this comes from outer space?" Austin asked.

Amy scoffed. "No, of course not, that's ridiculous."

Dean found a passage and started reading it aloud. "And there fell a great star from heaven, burning like a torch, and it fell upon the river, and the name of the star was Wormwood. And many men died."

"Revelation eight ten," Michael said nervously. "Are you saying that this is about the apocalypse?"

"Something like that," Amy said with a nod.

"And these specific omens, they're prelude to what?" Dean asked.

"The four Horsemen, right?" Amy asked.

Michael nodded. "Right."

"Which one rides a red horse?"

"War."

Dean nodded. "That cherry Mustang parked on Main."

"You can't think that a car—"

Dean cut Michael off. "It's the way I'd roll. I mean, think about it. It all makes sense. If War is a dude and he's here, maybe he's messing with our heads."

"Turning us on each other," Ellen finished. "Jo called me a black-eyed bitch."

Dean stood up. "They think we're demons, we think they're demons. What if there are no demons at all and we're all just killing each other?"

"Wait, just back up. It's the apocalypse?" Michael asked.

Dean gave the man a small smile. "Sorry, Padre."

The room fell silent for several moments.

"So now you're saying that there are no demons and war is a guy," Austin finally asked.

"You believed crazy before," Dean reminded him.

Someone started banging on the door.

"Open up! It's Roger!"

As Austin checked the peephole, Amy turned back to the room. "Out of curiosity, who owns that red Mustang?"

"Roger, I think," Josh spoke.

Realization crossed Amy's face. "Austin, wait-"

Austin either ignored or didn't hear her. He opened the door and Roger hurried in, breathing heavily as if he had been running.

"I saw them, the demons," he said in between breaths. "They know we're trying to leave. They said they're gonna pick us off one by one."

"Wait wait wait. What?" Dean asked.

"I thought you said there were no demons," Austin said.

"There aren't," Amy said. "Trust me." She narrowed her eyes at 'Roger.'

"Where did you go?" Dean asked.

"I thought someone should go out and see what's going on!" Roger explained.

"Where did you see the demons and what did they say exactly?" Dean demanded.

"We just sit here, we're going to be dead," Austin said.

"No, we're not!" Dean snapped.

"They're gonna kill us unless we kill them first," Roger continued.

"Oh are they now?" Amy asked threateningly.

Roger nodded. "That's what they told me."

"Hold on. Hold on." Dean tried to calm everyone down.

Austin shook his head. "No, man, we got people to protect. All right, the able-bodied go hunt some demons." He picked up a shotgun, handing it to Josh.

"Whoa whoa whoa," Dean said as Austin continued passing around guns. "Slow your roll. This is not a demon thing."

Amy saw Roger twist his ring, grinning at the hunters menecanly. His expression suddenly changed to panic as he pointed to her, Dean, and Ellen.

"Look at their eyes! They're demons!" he cried out.

Amy looked around at the group, confused. Genevieve gasped and Michael quickly raised a shotgun.

Dean pushed Ellen and Amy out of the room. "Go, go!"

They hurried out of the church, barely dodging a shotgun shell as Austin fired at them.

"Move!" Dean yelled.

They hurried outside and ran down the street. Only when they were out of eyesight did they stop to catch their breath.

"So, hold on," Ellen said in between breaths, "you think we're dealing with a horseman?"

Amy nodded. "Not just any horseman, though. I'm pretty sure we're dealing with War."

"How do we stop him?" Dean asked.

"The only way I know of is to get that ring," Amy recalled, "after that this whole demon thing should stop."

"How do we get his ring?" Ellen asked.

Amy shrugged. "Chop it off his hand if we have to, I guess."

Dean and Ellen exchanged a glance.

Ellen turned back to Amy. "I'm not going to ask how you know this," she said, "especially considering I've heard you're a pretty damn good hunter, but how are we supposed to cut the ring off a horseman's hand?"

"That, I don't know," Amy admitted. "He's obviously not just gonna hold out his hand and let us cut off his finger."

Dean nodded. "We need to figure out a plan." He turned at the sound of the group from the church coming down the street. "But first we need to get out from the open."

Ellen stopped him. "No, we need to find Rufus and Jo."

Dean paused, before nodding again. "Okay, yeah. But we need to move, now!"

They hurried back down the street.

"Any ideas where they are, Ellen?" Amy asked.

Ellen pointed to a house with smoke coming from the chimney. "I'm guessing they're in there."

Dean hurried up, walking faster down the street. "Come on," he said. "Let's move."

They reached the house Ellen had pointed out and headed up onto the front porch. The front door was locked, but there was a window open slightly next to it.

Ellen frowned, looking at the open window. "This is too easy," she muttered.

"Think they rigged it?" Amy asked.

Ellen nodded. "Wouldn't kill a demon, but it would be a little hard for a demon to attack anyone with no limbs. Okay, stand back."

Amy and Dean moved out of the way while Ellen tossed something through the window and ran out of the way.

There was a loud explosion. Ellen quickly hurried through the now rig-proof window while Dean stood next to it, out of sight. Amy hid around the corner, ready to jump into the fight if she needed to.

Amy heard movement inside the house and a moment later, Dean reached through the window, pulling Rufus through the window, pinning him to the ground.

Dean hauled Rufus up, slamming him to the wall. "Listen to me," he snapped. "I'm not a demon. Think, Rufus. All those omens."

"You go to hell," Rufus growled. He kicked Dean in the crotch, then kneed him in the stomach and punched him in the face.

Rufus's gun flew across the porch into Amy's outstretched hand. He turned and saw her holding it, lunging towards her.

Dean quickly grabbed Rufus again, pinning him against the wall. "Rufus! The polluted water, the shooting star, the red Mustang—it's War. I'm telling you, it's War."

"You're damn right it is." Rufus punched Dean in the face, before lunging for Amy once more.

"The horseman, Rufus!" Amy shouted. "The four horsemen of the apocalypse!"

Rufus suddenly paused. "Horseman?"

Amy nodded.

"Yes," Dean confirmed. "He's turning us against each other. You're hallucinating."

Rufus blinked several times. He looked back and forth between Dean and Amy. "The Horseman," he muttered. "War."

"Yes."

Rufus looked around. "Did you figure this out all by yourself, genius?"

Dean pointed to Amy. "Actually she did."

Amy stepped forward, handing Rufus back his gun. "Hey," she greeted, "I'm Amy."

Rufus looked her up and down. "Amy, huh? Bobby's told me a few things about you."

"Nothing too bad, I hope."

Struggling could be heard inside and they hurried through the window. They were greeted by Ellen pointing a shotgun at their faces.

Dean held his hands up. "Whoa, whoa!"

"We all on the same page?" Ellen asked.

Amy nodded. "Yeah."

Dean and Rufus exchanged a glance and nodded as well.

"Good." Dean looked over at the blonde woman standing next to Ellen. "Hi, Jo."

Jo nodded. "Hey."

"Okay, we got to find War before everybody in this town kills each—" Dean was cut off by the sound of firing gunshots. Everyone ducked. "Damn it! Where's Sam?"

Rufus jerked a thumb towards the ceiling. "Upstairs."

Dean and Amy hurried upstairs. There was a door at the end of the hallway that was closed. They hurried over, swinging it open.

Sam was inside the room, tied to a chair. "Dean, Amy, it's not demons," he said instantly.

"Yeah, we know," Amy said as Dean untied his brother. "It's the horseman, War."

Sam nodded. "He's using his-"

"Ring," Dean finished. "Amy already figured all this out. We just gotta find a way to get it from him."

There was another gunshot outside. Amy peered out the window, seeing the small group from the church directly outside the house.

Dean suddenly pulled her away from the window. "We gotta move, come on."

They hurried downstairs and out the back door, hurrying off towards Main Street.

"Where are we going to get the ring?" Sam asked.

"Mustang," Dean said as the mentioned car came into view. They stopped. "You still got the knife?"

"I've got it," Amy said, pulling it out of her pocket.

Dean nodded. "Good." He gestured them over to a nearby car. They ducked behind it, waiting for War.

* * *

Five minutes later, War came walking down the street. He approached his car, looking back over his shoulder. The three hunters crept out from hunting, grabbing the horseman as he reached for the door handle.

War laughed as Dean wrapped an arm around his neck. Amy held up the knife.

War held up his hands defensively. "Whoa. Okay. That's a sweet little knife," he said mockingly. "But come on. You can't kill war, kiddos."

"Oh, we know."

Sam slammed War's hand with the ring down on the mustang, holding it there as Amy brought the knife down across all four fingers.

The fingers and ring fell to the pavement. All of a sudden, Dean was holding onto nothing as War and the Mustang vanished.

Dean leaned down, picking up the ring. He looked around as he pocketed the gold ring. "We should make sure everyone is okay, before we get out of here."

Amy nodded. "Why don't you guys go ahead and do that?" she asked. "I'll run back to the church and grab out stuff."

"Okay," Sam agreed. "Uh, wait for us in front of the church when you've got everything. We'll come find you."

Amy gave him a mock salute. "Aye aye." She hurried off in the direction of the church.

* * *

Amy reached the church a few minutes later. The front door was wide open, from when the group had chased them out. She walked inside, past the bullet-ridden door from when Austin had shot them.

Their bags still lay by the table. She walked over to them, taking one more look around the room to make sure nothing was forgotten, before grabbing the bags and heading back outside. She sat down on the steps, waiting for Sam and Dean.

Sam and Dean walked around the corner. Amy handed them their bags and they started walking back towards the broken bridge.

"Was everyone okay?" Amy asked.

"Nothing too major," Dean told her. "Just a few scratches here and there. The pastor got shot, but he should live."

Amy nodded, not having anything else to say on the matter.

They reached the bridge as the sun started to set. Climbing back down the makeshift ramp and across the ravine, they headed back up to the waiting Impala. Dean opened the trunk and they put their bags in, before getting back into the car and driving off.

* * *

They stopped and got a quick meal, before stopping at a motel just out of town for the night. Amy was too tired to hold much of a conversation with Sam and Dean and fell into her bed, soon falling asleep.

* * *

**May 20th, 2009**

The next morning, Dean drove them to a rest area in view of a mountain. They sat at a picnic table as they ate breakfast.

Dean pulled out the ring, turning it around in his hand as he examined it. "So, pit stop at Mount Doom?"

Amy chuckled at the reference, but Sam didn't reply. He stared pensively at the ground, before finally speaking.

"Dean—"

Dean cut him off. "Sam, let's not."

"No, listen. This is important." Sam took a deep breath. "I know you don't trust me."

Dean looked away.

"Just, now I realize something. I don't trust me either," Sam admitted. Dean looked back up. " From the minute I saw that blood, only thought in my head...and I tell myself it's for the right reasons, my intentions are good, and it, it feels true, you know? But I think, underneath...I just miss the feeling. I know how messed up that sounds, which means I know how messed up I am. Thing is, the problem's not the demon blood, not really. I mean, I, what I did, I can't blame the blood or Ruby or...anything." He paused.

"The problem's me," Sam finally said. "How far I'll go. There's something in me that...scares the hell out of me, Dean. In the last couple of days, I caught another glimpse..."

"So what are you saying?" Dean asked.

Sam hesitated for a moment. "I'm in no shape to be hunting," he said. Dean looked away again. "I need to step back, 'cause I'm dangerous." He paused briefly. "Maybe it's best we just...go our separate ways." Sam looked up at Dean, waiting for an answer.

Dean licked his lips as he considered the idea. "Well, I think you're right," he finally said.

Amy looked up at him. "What?" she asked quietly. She didn't know why but she wasn't expecting Dean to just agree with his brother on this.

"I was expecting a fight," Sam said, voicing what Amy had been thinking.

"The truth is I spend more time worrying about you than about doing the job right," Dean admitted. "And I just, I can't afford that, you know? Not now."

Sam nodded. "I'm sorry, Dean."

"I know you are, Sam."

Sam nodded again. He swung his leg over the bench as he moved to stand up.

"Hey, do you, uh, wanna take the Impala?" Dean offered.

Sam shook his head. "It's okay."

Sam stood up. He took a few steps away from the table, then turned back. "Take care of Amy, Dean. And yourself."

"Yeah, you too, Sammy."

Dean and Amy watched in silence as Sam pulled his backpack from the backseat of the Impala. He ran his hand along the trunk as he walked towards a blue pick-up truck nearby. Sam said something they couldn't hear to the driver, before circling around to the passenger side and getting in. The truck drove off.

They watched the truck drive away, not looking away until it was out of view. When it was gone, Dean turned to her. "Ready to go?"

Amy sighed, nodding silently. She stood up from the bench and followed Dean to the Impala. She started to open the backdoor, but Dean stopped her.

"You can have shotgun," he muttered.

Amy closed the door back up and silently made her way to the passenger side. She opened the front door and slid in next to Dean. He started the engine and they drove off.


	33. Ghostly Thoughts

**May 30th, 2009 - Sioux Falls, South Dakota**

It was just after midnight over a week later when Amy unlocked the door to Bobby's house and pushed the door open, holding it wide enough so Dean could push Bobby's wheelchair inside.

"There you go," Dean said as he pushed Bobby through the door. "Home sweet home."

Bobby rolled his eyes as he wheeled himself into the study. "Idjit."

Amy closed the door. "We're just glad you're finally home, Bobby," she said, joining the other two in the study.

"Would you two idjits quit worrying about me?" Bobby huffed.

"Well, considering everything that's been happening lately, can you blame us?" Dean asked.

"I said I'm fine," Bobby snapped.

Amy held up her hands defensively, leaving the conversation at that. "I think I'm gonna head to bed," she said decisively.

Without waiting for Dean or Bobby to say anything, she headed up the creaky stairs to her bedroom. The slightly uncomfortable bed with a worn-out mattress awaited her inside the cold room, but after a long week, she was just glad to be able to sleep somewhere familiar.

After slipping into something more comfortable, she collapsed on the bed. Her head sank into the pillow and she was soon asleep.

* * *

**June 2nd, 2009**

They stayed with Bobby for a couple of days to make sure he would be fine on his own once they left again, mainly at Dean's request.

A few days after Bobby had returned home, Amy walked downstairs into the kitchen. Dean was sitting at the kitchen table. There was an empty space where one of the chairs had been removed to make room for Bobby's wheelchair.

As Amy entered the kitchen, Bobby wheeled in, a newspaper in his lap. "Found you guys a case," he told them. "People have been going missing down in Oklahoma City over the past week. No bodies have been found. One moment they're there and the next, gone."

"Oklahoma?" Dean asked. "Bobby, are you sure you want us to leave to go on a hunt so soon? I mean, we just got you home."

Bobby shrugged. "It's not like you don't practically do this on a daily basis already."

"Yeah, but-"

Amy cut Dean off. "Is there any relation to the victims?" she asked, ignoring the other hunter's protests.

"As far as I'm concerned, no," Bobby said. "The only relevance I could find was that they all happened in the same town. Shouldn't be too much for the two of you to handle."

"Bobby, hold on," Dean interrupted. "You're in a wheelchair. Are you sure you don't want us to stay a little longer?"

"What are you, my mother?" Bobby asked. "Everything I need is on this floor, so quit your worrying."

Dean and Amy exchanged a glance.

"So, are you two gonna get on this case already or not?" Bobby asked.

Dean and Amy took the hint and left.

* * *

**June 3rd, 2009 - Oklahoma City, Oklahoma**

They reached a motel in Oklahoma City late that night. Amy grabbed her bag from the trunk and followed Dean into the front office so they could get checked into a room.

A man writing something behind the counter looked up as the bell above the door chimed. He smiled as Dean and Amy approached. "How can I help you tonight?"

"We'd like a room for a few nights." Dean pulled out one of his Mastercards.

"Excellent," the man said, "one bed or two."

"Two!" Amy and Dean said simultaneously.

"If you insist," the man muttered. He smiled back up at Dean. "How long are you planning on staying with us?"

"A week, at most," Dean said.

Dean paid for the room. The man handed Amy the key. "Room 214," he said.

They thanked the man and picked up their bags, heading back outside.

Amy led the way up to their room on the second floor. She unlocked the door, and they headed inside, each choosing a bed to drop their bag onto. Amy pulled out a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt from her duffle bag, heading into the bathroom to change.

By the time she came out, Dean had already collapsed on the bed and fallen asleep. She rolled her eyes at the tired hunter and climbed into her own bed, soon falling asleep.

* * *

The next morning, Amy woke up to an empty room. Figuring Dean had just stepped outside for a bit, she pulled her laptop from her bag and sat down at the table. Opening up Google, she started looking for any information she could about the case.

An hour and a half later, Amy picked up her phone, dialing Dean's number. It wasn't like him to be gone for so long without leaving a note of some kind, or even texting or calling.

She frowned as the phone rang on and on, eventually going to voicemail.

_Leave your name, number, and nightmare at the tone._

"Dean, hey, it's Amy. Where the hell are you, dude? I woke up, and you were gone, and now it's been almost two hours, and I haven't even gotten a text or call? You didn't get kidnapped in your sleep, did you? Call me, okay?"

She hung up the phone and looked at the screen for several seconds as if expecting Dean to call her back right away. Scrolling back through her contacts, she dialed Bobby's home phone. She only had to wait for it to ring once before the old hunter answered.

"Yeah?"

"Hey, Bobby, has Dean called you at all today?"

"No." The confusion in Bobby's tone was evident. "Why would he?"

"Because I woke up and he was gone. I haven't heard from him since, and he's not back yet." Amy stood up, pacing across the hardwood floor as she spoke.

"Well, I haven't heard from him. You try tracking his phone?"

Amy sat back down. "No, not yet. I'll go ahead and do that right now." She muted the call and set her phone down. Pulling up the site to track Dean's phone, she typed in all the necessary information, before waiting for the website to locate his phone. A moment later, there was a beep, and the phone location was shown...right in the motel room.

Picking back up her phone, Amy unmuted the call. "Hey, Bobby? I think we got a problem."

"What's wrong, kid?"

"The tracker says his phone is here, in the motel room."

"And you're sure Dean didn't just go down to the front desk and forget his phone?"

Amy shook her head, fully aware that Bobby couldn't see her. "You know that's not like him," she said. "Besides, it's been almost two hours since I woke up, and I'm positive he wouldn't leave for this long without leaving a note of some kind behind." She leaned back in her chair. "You don't think something bad happened, do you? I mean, this case involved people disappearing in this town, right?"

There was a brief pause before Bobby answered. "Right. There's not much I can do from here, except maybe call a couple hunter buddies of mine in that area. Other than that, if something did happen to Dean, it looks like you're on your own for once."

"Well, it looks like I'm going on a Winchester hunt, then. Any ideas on where I should start?"

"If I had to guess, I'd say he was taken by whatever is making people vanish. I'd look more into that."

Amy frowned. "That doesn't make any sense, though. We just got into town last night. There's no way they'd know we were in town, let alone where we were. Besides, I was in the room last night too. Why would they take Dean but not me?"

"I dunno, kid." Bobby sounded sympathetic. "I'll do what I can from here. Start doing what you can to find out what's going on in that town. The sooner you do that the sooner you can find Dean."

Amy nodded. "Right. I'll call you if I need any help with anything."

"Call me as soon as you have his location."

"Will do," Amy promised. "Talk to you later."

Amy hung up the phone, setting it on the table by her computer. Something wasn't right about this at all. They had only just gotten into town last night, so there was no possible way whatever was doing this would know where they were or have any reason to kidnap Dean if they did. She stood up again and began pacing around the room.

This had to be something the hunters hadn't hunted or seen yet. Amy made her way over to the window, wondering why she hadn't done that sooner, and moved the curtain out of the way. Sure enough, the Impala still sat parked in the parking lot, in the same place they had left it the night before.

Amy turned back to the empty room. "Where the hell are you, Dean?" she wondered aloud. Making her way back over to her computer, she continued looking up anything she could find on the case. She needed to figure this out quickly before she disappeared or got kidnapped as well.

* * *

Amy groaned, rubbing her temples. An hour of research had turned up barely anything.

"I could really use your help right now, Sam," she said to the empty room. "You are way better at this whole research thing than I am." She sighed. "Okay, Amy, come on. You got this."

Letting out a long sigh, she placed her hands back on the keyboard. What else could there be out there that would take Dean but not her?

" _-my. Amy, hey!"_

Amy jumped in her seat and looked around wildly. That was Dean's voice, in her head, she was sure of it, but where was he? She shook her head.

' _I must be getting tired,_ ' she thought.

" _Amy, no, it's me! It's Dean!"_

Amy looked around again. Still nothing. "I'm losing it," she muttered.

" _No, no you're not,"_ Dean's voice said again. " _Either that or we're both crazy."_

Amy sighed. "Okay, let's say you really are here and I'm not just losing my mind and imagining your voice. Where the hell are you?"

" _I-I think I'm standing right next to you."_

Amy scoffed. "You think? How can you not know where you are? Besides-" she turned her head, looking to both sides, "-you're not standing next to me. In fact, you're not anywhere in this room."

" _I don't know how to describe it,"_ Dean continued. " _You're hearing me in your head, right?"_

Amy nodded. "Right."

" _I've been trying to talk to you all morning but it looks like you haven't been able to hear me. But then I remembered you could read minds or whatever, and I've been spending the past few hours trying to reach out to you. I was about to give up when you finally reacted."_ Dean actually sounded relieved.

Amy leaned back in her chair. "No, you're right, I haven't heard you until now. Okay, so, what? You've invisible?" She frowned. "And because of that, no one can hear you?"

She heard Dean sigh in her head. " _I-I don't know, okay? I'll tell you, though, this is some pretty messed up crap."_

Amy chuckled. "Yeah, tell me about it." She sighed, putting her face in her hands. "Okay, so, you're apparently right next to me, but I can't see you and I can only hear you in my mind. Can you go outside? Or even do anything?"

" _No."_ Dean almost sounded scared. " _I can't touch anything. My hand just goes right through everything. And I-I tried going outside, but the moment I put my foot through the door, I just ended up right back in the motel room."_

"Wait, so, you go through everything you try to touch, kinda like a ghost?"

If Dean had shrugged, Amy couldn't tell. " _I don't know. Maybe?"_

"What happens when you try to go outside?"

" _I-I don't know. It's weird. I put my foot out the door, and all of a sudden it's like it's outside and inside at the same time? I put my head through the door to look outside and I found myself looking back into the room."_

Amy raised an eyebrow. "Okay, that is weird." She leaned back in her chair, trying to come up with an idea for Dean to tell her where he was. "Hey, do you remember when we became ghosts for a day and that kid, Cole, taught us how to do all those ghost moves?" she asked after a moment.

" _Yeah."_

"Maybe-" Amy sighed "-maybe try doing something, ghosty? I mean, if you're sort of like a ghost right now, then maybe those ghost moves we learned will work."

There was a long pause and Amy began to worry. "Dean? You still there?"

Silence. A moment later, the pen on the table rolled off.

"I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that was you?" Amy asked.

" _Yes!"_ Dean exclaimed a little too loudly.

Amy jumped. "Awesome," she groaned. "Could you maybe cheer a little quieter, though?"

'" _Sorry,"_ Dean said meekly. '" _Hey, you don't think the trickster is behind this, do you?"_

Amy shook her head. "No, it's something else. I guarantee it."

She could almost see Dean frown. " _What makes you say that? This is definitely something he would do. Messing with us is kinda this guy's thing."_

"Just...just trust me, okay?" Amy asked. Sure, Gabe messed with Sam and Dean occasionally, but messing with her was something she knew he wouldn't do. "This is something else."

" _Do you remember anything from this episode?"_ Dean asked. " _Anything at all."_

Amy rubbed the back of her neck. "Yeah, uh, hate to break it to you Dean-o, but this wasn't an episode. I'm flying blind just like you are."

" _Great,"_ Dean huffed.

Amy turned back to her computer. "Okay, so, we're looking for something that likes to...what turn people into ghosts?" She looked around the room. "Are you still standing next to me?"

" _No, but here."_ Dean stopped talking for a moment before the pen lifted back up off the ground. It raised about Dean's height and stayed in place. " _There, I put the pen behind my ear. Can you still see it?"_

Amy nodded. "Well, at least that makes it easier to know where you are, for now. Just remember that if you lose focus, the pen will fall." She let out a long sigh. "Okay, so, any ideas on what this thing is? We obviously don't know much about it, except that it decided to turn you into basically an invisible ghost."

" _And we're sure this isn't the trickster?"_ Dean asked. " _I mean, I know you say it's not, but this sounds like something he would do."_

Amy looked over at the floating pen indicating where Dean was. She stared at the spot for a moment, before looking down and shaking her head. "No, Dean, just...trust me? Okay? It's not him."

'" _But you said this wasn't an episode. So how could you possibly-"_

"I just do, okay?" Amy snapped. She took a deep breath. "I just do," she repeated, a bit calmer. She picked up her phone, hoping to distract Dean with another topic. "Bobby told me to call him once I knew where you were. Maybe he'll know more about this."

" _Okay. Call Bobby, then. See if he can figure something out."_

Amy nodded. "I'll be right back. Don't go anywhere."

Dean scoffed " _It's not like I can."_

Amy paused for a moment. "Right," she muttered. Stepping outside, she dialed Bobby's number.

"Yeah?"

"Hey, Bobby. I have good news and I have bad news, which would you like first?"

"Just spit it out, Amy," Bobby snapped. "Have you got any news on Dean?"

"Yeah, yeah, I do." Amy started pacing in front of the door. "I found him. Know exactly where he is."

"Okay..." Bobby trailed off. "You don't make that sound like that's a good thing."

"Well, that's where the other news comes in. Turns out he's been in the motel room this whole time, he's just...a sort of ghost. He can barely touch anything, can't go outside, and I can't see or hear him."

"Well, then how the hell do you know he's even there?"

"My powers," Amy explained. "A few months ago I found out I could read minds and Dean and I have been using that to talk to each other. He thinks what he wants to say to me and I hear him in my head."

There was silence on the other line. "Kid, those powers of yours get weirder by the minute."

Amy chuckled. "Tell me about it."

"So, what are you calling me for? It can't just be to tell me you know where Dean is."

"Well you did say to call you when I had his location," Amy reminded the old hunter. "But no, I was actually calling to ask if you knew anything that could be capable of doing something like this?"

Amy heard the wheels of Bobby's wheelchair move across the wooden floor. "The only thing I can think of would be an imp," he said after a moment.

Amy sat down on the railing outside the door, swinging her leg over the edge. "A what?"

"An imp," Bobby repeated. "They're mischievous little demons known for pulling pranks. And, when I say little, I really do mean little."

"Okay." Amy sighed. "Is there any way to get rid of them and get Dean back?"

"Well, the lore says they turn to stone at the sight of an angel." Amy heard a page turn over the phone. "So, maybe call your angel pal?"

"Okay, yeah, that should work. What about how to actually catch it, or even how to get it to come back?"

"It turned Dean invisible but did nothing to you, right?"

"As far as I'm concerned, yeah."

"It might be back tonight to finish what it started last night, then," Bobby said, "that would be your window of opportunity to get Dean back, but you'll only have one shot. If it gets you tonight, who knows what'll happen."

"Gee thanks, Bobby," Amy said sarcastically. "I'm so glad I've got you to talk to."

"Just let Dean know what I told you. Maybe call Cas so if this thing does show up tonight, he's already there. And kid?"

"Yeah?"

"Be careful."

"I will," Amy promised. She hung up the phone and looked up at the sky. "Hey, Cas? Don't know if you're listening or if you can even hear me, but I kinda need your help. Dean and I are staying at the Spring Bay resort in Oklahoma City, room 214, but he's in trouble and really needs your-"

Amy was cut off by the flutter of wings behind her. She turned around to see Cas standing behind her. She sighed in relief. "Oh, good, you're here."

"Yes I-I am," Cas said. Confusion flashed across his face. "What's wrong with Dean?"

"Bobby and I think an imp turned him invisible. He's in the room, but he's basically a ghost. He can't touch anything and I can't see or hear him except in my head."

"An imp?" Cas asked.

"That's the working theory right now," Amy confirmed. "Have you heard of them?"

"Yes, I have."

Amy stared at the angel, expecting him to continue talking. When he didn't she asked, "so, can you help us?"

"What would you need me to do?"

"Why don't we go inside the room?" Amy suggested. "We can work out a plan with Dean in there."

Cas nodded and Amy led him inside the room. The angel stood by the door as Amy looked around for the pen that indicated Dean's location. "Dean?" she called out. "Where you at?"

" _Over by the table,"_ Dean's voice said. " _Couldn't keep that pen behind my ear for very long after all. Why is Cas here?"_

"Amy told me I could help in some way," Cas explained.

Amy turned to him. "Wait, you can hear him?"

Cas nodded. "Yes. Like you, I can read minds."

"Oh, right." Amy turned back to the table where Dean said he was. "Okay, so, I called Bobby."

" _And?"_

"And he thinks that an imp turned you invisible."

" _Oh yeah,"_ Dean said, " _an imp, of course._ " There was a pause. " _What is that?"_

Amy rolled her eyes and sat down on the bed. "Bobby said they're mischievous demons known for playing pranks."

" _And Bobby thinks this is what's behind what's happened to me?"_

Amy nodded.

" _Okay, well, how do we find it?"_

"Imps are particularly good at shapeshifting," Cas explained. "It could be near impossible to find it if it had taken another form."

Amy thought for a moment. "Could it shapeshift into a human-looking form?" she asked.

"It's possible."

" _The guy at the front desk downstairs."_

Amy nodded. "That's what I was thinking." She started pacing around the room.

" _So, then, why is Cas here?"_

"Well, if what Bobby said was right, then these things turn to stone when they see an angel." Amy turned to Cas. "Do you know if that's true or not?"

Cas nodded. "Yes, it is true."

Amy stood back up and smiled. "Okay, good. So..." she trailed off, realizing something.

"Is something wrong?" Cas asked.

"I was just thinking, what if the imp, if the guy in the front office even is one, turns to stone but Dean stays invisible?"

" _Crap,"_ Dean swore. " _I didn't think about that."_

"Imp magic disappears when the imp responsible disappears," Cas informed them.

Amy breathed a sigh of relief. "Okay, good. So, then, how would this all work? You just walk into the room and when this thing sees you it turns to stone?"

"Yes," Cas said. "If it is an imp like you say, then one look at any angel will turn it to stone."

Amy nodded, now forming a plan in her head. She turned back to where Dean was. "Just sit tight, okay? Cas and I will be right back. I guess we'll know if it worked when we get back and can see you again."

"Are you ready?" Cas asked her.

Amy took a deep breath and nodded. "Let's do this."

Cas grabbed Amy's shoulder and she suddenly found herself standing in the front office.

It didn't take very long for Amy's plan to work, much to both her amusement and disappointment. The man behind the desk looked up as soon as they appeared in the room and the moment he laid eyes on Cas, stone encased his entire body. The new statue stayed there for a moment, before cracking and crumbling to dust, falling to the ground.

Amy frowned as she walked behind the desk and looked down at the pile of dust on the ground. Sure, she was glad it had worked, but if she was being honest, she had expected a bit more of a fight.

"It worked," Cas spoke, "and yet, you seem disappointed."

Amy shook her head. "I don't know, maybe I am," she admitted. "I was kind of expecting slash hoping there would be a fight of some kind."

Cas tilted his head. "You wanted to have a fight?"

Amy shrugged. "I guess I was. But we don't have time to think about that now." She started running towards the door. "I gotta get up to the motel room and check on Dean."

Amy hurried out of the office as fast as her legs could carry her. She sprinted up the stairs and past the other rooms, before turning the corner at the end of the building. Stopping to take a breath of relief when she saw Dean leaning against the railing in front of their room. His hair was a mess and he looked tired, but he was there.

She was about to call out to Dean when an idea crossed her mind. Putting on a look of concern, she walked hurriedly to their room.

Dean smiled as she approached. "I think it worked!" he told her. "So was it the guy down at the front desk like we thought?"

Amy ignored him. She opened the door and stepped inside, pretending to look around for Dean. "Dean?" she asked. "You in here?"

"Wait, no, Amy, I'm right behind you," Dean said, panic evident in his voice. "I thought it worked."

Amy smirked as she turned around to face the other hunter. "I know, dumbass," she said. "I just wanted to see your reaction."

Dean shook his head. "I hate you so much," he said. He stepped into the room, closing the door behind him. "Where's Cas?"

"I kinda left him in the office when I ran up here to check on you, so I'd imagine he's gone by now."

Dean sat down on the bed. "Figures. Probably went off to continue his search for God."

Amy sat down next to him. "Yeah."

There was a long pause before Dean spoke again. "Hey, if Cas is so hell-bent on going on this God hunt, why did he come here to help us?"

"I think he mainly came to help you." Amy chuckled. "The moment I said you were in trouble and needed help, he was there."

Dean turned to her, an eyebrow raised. "I don't know how to respond to that," he said. His face relaxed slightly. "So, what happened when you went in there? Did the imp thing put up a fight?"

Amy stood back up. "Not exactly," she said. "Cas flew us right into the office and the moment the imp looked up and saw Cas, he turned to stone and crumbled to the ground. It was honestly pretty uneventful."

"What, you wanted a fight or something?" Dean asked.

Amy turned to him and huffed, throwing her arms out. "You and Cas both asked me that same question and honestly? Yes, yes I was expecting a bit of a fight. The way he just looked up and, that was it, honestly felt a little too easy to me. I was expecting to get thrown around the room, or for it try and use its magic on me, or really just anything!"

Dean was trying not to laugh as Amy finished rambling. "You are so weird," he said, shaking his head.

Amy stuck her tongue out at him. "You look like hell, by the way."

"Yeah, I could use some sleep," Dean agreed. "We can leave here in the morning."

Amy frowned, suddenly remembering why they had come to Oklahoma in the first place. "What about all those people who disappeared?"

Dean laid down across the bed. "We can check in with Bobby about it tomorrow. If the same thing that made me disappear made all those other people disappear as well, then I'd say they should all be reappearing."

"I hope you're right." Amy pulled out her phone. "I'm gonna call Bobby, let him know you're visible again." She stepped back outside, dialing Bobby's number.

"Yeah?"

"It worked," Amy said immediately. "The imp is dead."

"And Dean?"

"Visible, alive, and currently asleep in the motel room."

Bobby breathed a sigh of relief on the other line. "Next time lead with that, ya idjit."

Amy chuckled nervously. "Sorry. Uh, but, Dean thinks we might have figured out what happened to all those people who went missing."

Bobby grunted. "If that imp was behind all of this, then the other victims should be returning as well."

"And if they don't return?"

"Well, if they don't return, then there's either another imp or something else entirely. If I had to guess, I'd say the trickster could be a part of this."

Amy rolled her eyes and sighed. "No, it-it's not him."

"You sure?"

Amy nodded, knowing Bobby couldn't see her. "I'm sure."

Bobby sighed. "If you say so. I just think this seems like the type of thing he'd do."

"Yeah, I know." Amy rocked back and forth on her feet. "I can't say how I know, but I just know he's not behind this."

There was a pause on the other line. "Alright, kid," Bobby said after a moment, "I'll take your word on it."

Amy breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you. I'll keep you updated if we learn anything else."

Bobby grunted in response and the line went dead. Amy sighed and headed back into the motel room. She looked over at Dean's bed as she shut the door behind her, smiling slightly when she saw that he was still visible, sleeping soundly.

Slipping back into something more comfortable, she set her phone down on the nightstand by her bed and laid down, soon falling asleep

* * *

**June 4th, 2009 - Spring Bay resort**

The first thing Amy did when she woke up the next morning was look around for Dean, breathing a sigh of relief when she saw him sitting at the table, using her laptop.

"Morning," she greeted. She slid out of bed and walked over to the table and sat down across from Dean. "What are you doing?"

"Looking up anything I can find on the case," Dean said, not looking up from the screen.

"Find anything?"

Dean turned the computer around to face her. On the screen was a news article about missing people suddenly returning out of nowhere. "Looks like everyone is returning."

"Well, that's good," Amy said. She scanned through the article. According to it, practically everyone that had gone missing had suddenly reappeared, with no memory as to what had happened to them. Amy frowned. "How come you can remember what happened but no one else can?"

Dean shrugged. "Maybe because you and I could actually talk during this time and I wasn't gone for very long, to begin with. Those other people that went missing were gone for almost a week."

"True," Amy agreed. She pointed at the laptop. "You done with this?"

Dean nodded. "Ready to head out of town?" he asked. "I found us a vampire case in Greeley while you were asleep."

Amy nodded. "Yeah, just let me pack."

Amy stood back up, grabbing her bag from the foot of her bed. She stuffed her belongings into it and zipped it up, slipping her cell-phone into her pocket.

"Ready to go?"

Amy swung her bag over her shoulder and turned back to Dean. "Ready."

Dean led her down to the Impala. They tossed their bags into the trunk and Amy slid into the passenger seat, next to Dean. He started up the engine, pulling the Impala out of the parking lot.

* * *

They had been driving for an hour when Amy spoke. "Do you think Sam's doing alright?"

Dean didn't reply. His knuckles turned white as he gripped the steering wheel tighter. Amy looked away, slightly wishing she hadn't said anything.

"He's fine," Dean finally said after a while. "He's a big boy. He can take care of himself."

"Yeah," Amy said quietly.

Dean looked over at her. "I know you're worried about him, but you don't need to be. He'll be fine."

Amy gave Dean a small smile, before turning back to the window, watching the scenery outside as Dean drove down the road towards their next hunt.


	34. Free to Be You and Me

**June 5th, 2009 - Greeley, Pennsylvania**

Less than a day later, Dean pulled into the parking lot of a motel. They checked in for the week, then headed up to the room.

"So, vampires?" Amy asked, tossing her bag onto the far bed.

Dean nodded, tossing his bag on the other bed. He sat down at the table and pulled out his laptop. "Two patients at Taft Memorial Hospital were found with their blood completely drained the other day."

Amy sat down across from the other hunter. "Just going off of that, I'm guessing the vampire is someone who works at the hospital."

"My thoughts exactly," Dean said, opening the laptop. "Victims' names are Eric and Hannah Lee. They were in a car crash, but were in stable condition and had been expected to leave the day after their bodies had been found."

"Have they been the only victims so far?" Amy asked.

Dean shook his head. "Doesn't look like it." He scrolled through the page he was looking at. "The first body was found over a week ago. Blood drained, just like the others, then nothing again until now."

"If it is someone who works at the hospital," Amy began, "it would probably be-"

"-someone who was there both days that the victims were found," Dean finished. "Unfortunately, this doesn't say who those were so-" he closed the laptop "-looks like we're taking a trip down to the hospital. Get changed into something more professional. We'll leave when you're ready."

Amy nodded. She grabbed her bag and headed into the bathroom, quickly putting on her detective uniform. She ran a brush through her hair and pulled it up into a high ponytail, before walking back out to the main part of the motel room.

Dean was already dressed in his own uniform and sitting down on the bed. He looked up as she entered. "Ready to go?"

Amy tossed her bag back on her bed. "Almost." She rummaged through her bag. "What ID should I bring?"

"Pennsylvania State Police."

Amy pulled the ID from her bag, slipping it into her pocket. "Let's go."

* * *

Ten minutes later, Dean led Amy inside the hospital. They nodded to the receptionist behind the desk and walked down the hallway, pulling out their IDs as they approached a young doctor standing near the door to the autopsy room.

"'Scuse me," Dean said authoritatively. The doctor looked up and the hunters showed him their badges. "Hi, Detective Bill Buckner." Dean pointed to Amy. "This is my partner, Detective Lavonne Paire."

The doctor examined their IDs, before turning back to Dean. "Yes. How can I help you, Detectives?"

"We're here about those patients, the exsanguinated ones."

"Of course." The doctor opened the door to the autopsy room. "Right this way."

Dean and Amy followed him inside, grabbing a pair of gloves on the way in. The doctor led them over to an old man, who looked up as they approached.

"Yes?" the man asked.

Dean and Amy held out their badges again. "Detectives Buckner and Paire," Dean repeated.

The doctor turned to Dean and Amy. "This is our pathologist." He turned back to the old man. "They're here about the bodies."

The man nodded. "I can take it from here. Thank you, doctor."

The doctor left the room, closing the door behind him. The pathologist led Amy and Dean to the refrigerators and pulled out a metal bed. He pulled back the sheet, revealing the pale, lifeless body of a man.

"This was Eric Lee," he said.

"He and his wife came in after a car crash, correct?" Amy asked.

The man nodded. "He and his wife were supposed to check-out today." He gestured to the body. "Obviously that didn't happen."

"Hmm." Dean gave a small nod. "What about the victims that were found last week? Same thing? Blood drained?"

The pathologist nodded. "Uh, yes."

"But you didn't report the first victims?"

"We didn't think much of it," the pathologist admitted. "The first of them was found with his throat slit. And then, when it didn't happen again, we figured there was no need to get the police involved-"

"-until the Lee's were found, with their blood drained, minus the slit throats," Amy finished.

The pathologist nodded.

"Could I have a word with my partner alone?" Dean asked.

The pathologist nodded again. "I'll just be outside." He left the room, leaving Dean and Amy with the bodies.

Amy examined the body of Eric Lee. There appeared to be a huge bite on his neck. "Definitely looks like a vampire bite," she said.

Dean located the fridge with Hannah Lee, pulling out the metal bed. "Hannah's got the same thing."

"And I'll bet the first victim had the same thing, just covered up with a slit throat."

Amy sighed. She moved the sheet back over the body. "I'm thinking that as well."

Dean slid the metal bed containing Hannah back into the fridge. "Why don't you head back out to the car. I'll get a list of who was working those days, and meet you out there."

They headed back out to the hallway, where the pathologist was still waiting. Dean handed him a card, telling him to call if he had any questions.

Night had already fallen by the time Amy left the hospital. She headed to the Impala, opening the unlocked door and sliding into the passenger seat.

A few moments later, Dean walked out to the car, getting in behind the wheel. He handed Amy a folder with several pieces of paper in it and started the engine, pulling out of the parking lot.

Amy took out one of the papers. On it was a list of names, along with dates and times next to each of them. The dates went back almost a month. "Is this everyone who was working those days?"

"Yeah," Dean confirmed. "Looks like we might have hit a dead end, though. Turns out there were a lot of people working both days."

Amy scoffed. "It's a hospital. There's dozens of staff working there every day, what'd you expect?"

"Yeah. Well, hey-" Dean tapped the paper "-take a look at that list. Maybe see if anything sticks out."

"Can do."

* * *

A few minutes later, Dean pulled into the parking lot of the motel. Amy followed him up to the room, still reading through the papers. She sat down at the table, as Dean headed into the bathroom to change out of his detective uniform.

Dean came back out, now dressed back in his casual clothing, as Amy noticed something on the paper she was looking at.

"Hey, Dean?"

Dean came up behind her, looking over her shoulder at the paper. "Got something?"

"I think so." Amy shifted in her seat. "Those victims that were found a week or so ago, they were the first ones, right? I mean, as far as we're concerned, there weren't any more before that?"

Dean straightened up, moving to the seat across from her. "Why do you ask?"

"Because one of the doctors on this list, Ben Allen, the day before the first vic was found was his first day on the job. And he worked the day before the Lees were found as well."

"So I'm guessing this new doctor is our vamp, then."

Amy nodded. "Guessing so." She flipped to another paper. "He didn't work today, it looks like, but this has his address on it. He doesn't live too far from here."

Dean stood back up. "I'll bet he's there now. Come on."

Amy put the papers back in the folder. "Right..." she trailed off as she turned around and saw that Dean was already out the door. "...now?" Letting out a sigh, she followed him back out to the car.

Dean already had the engine running by the time Amy climbed back into the car.

"126 Elmwood Avenue," she rattled off before he could ask for the address.

Dean nodded, before tearing back out of the parking lot.

* * *

It was a twenty-minute drive to the address, a small house that sat alone at the end of a dirt road. They got out, circling around to the back. Dean pulled out a machete, hiding it in his jacket pocket. As he closed the trunk, a man walked out of the house, heading towards a blue pick-up truck. He looked over at them as they approached.

"Mr. Allen?" Dean asked, reaching for his badge. He held it out for the man to see. "I'm Detective-"

"-Dean Winchester," the man snarled. He looked over at Amy. "Hunters. I thought I smelled your stench." He revealed a pair of fangs and began approaching the two hunters.

Dean quickly pulled the machete from his jacket and headed towards the vampire. He swung it at the vamp's head, but the blade was easily dodged.

The vampire quickly pinned Dean to the ground. The machete fell to the ground, landing by Amy's feet. She picked up the blade, quickly approaching the vampire as his fangs neared Dean's neck.

Mustering up all her strength, she swung the blade through the vampire's neck. Blood sprayed onto Dean's face as the head rolled to the ground. He quickly shoved the body off and sat up.

Amy walked over and held out her hand to help him up. "You okay?" she asked.

Dean wiped his face, smearing the blood across his cheek. "Yeah, I'm good." He looked down at the headless body, which now had blood pooling out of it. "Looks like you were right about this being our guy."

"Yeah." Amy handed back the machete. "Kinda weird how he just immediately attacked you like that.

"Yeah, well, he probably heard we had been to the hospital and figured we were onto him." Dean walked over to the trunk and opened it up. He pulled out a rag and wiped the rest of the blood from his face. "At least now we can get out of this crap town." He tossed the rag back into the trunk, slamming it closed.

* * *

When they finally got back to the motel, Amy slipped on a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt, before putting her hair into two braids. Sitting back down on her bed, she turned her attention to the TV.

Dean dampened a washcloth and began cleaning the bloodstains from his jacket.

"God," Amy heard Dean say suddenly. There was a loud thump on the counter. "Don't do that."

Amy turned off the TV and walked over to see Cas standing behind Dean.

"Hello, Dean," Cas greeted.

Dean turned around. His face was mere inches away from the angel's. Dean looked away, avoiding eye contact. "Cas, we've talked about this," he said. "Personal space?"

"My apologies." Cas took a step back, allowing Dean to grab his jacket and walk over to his bed.

Amy walked over to them. "Cas, we just saw you a few days ago. What are you doing back so soon? More importantly, how did you find us?"

"Bobby told me where you two were," Cas explained. He looked around the room. "Where's Sam?"

Dean slipped on his jacket, not looking over at the angel. "Me and Sam are taking separate vacations for a while. So-" he turned to Cas "-you find God yet? More importantly, can I have my damn necklace back, please?"

"No, I haven't found him. That's why I'm here. I need your help."

"With what?" Dean asked. "God hunt? Not interested."

Cas frowned. "It's not God. It's someone else."

Dean adjusted the sleeves on his jacket and looked up at the angel. "Who?"

Cas stepped forward. "It's an archangel. The one who killed me."

"Raphael, right?" Amy asked.

Cas nodded.

"You were wasted by a teenage mutant ninja angel?" Dean asked jokingly.

"I've heard whispers that he's walking the earth," Cas continued. "This is a rare opportunity."

"For what? Revenge?"

"Information."

"Information on what?" Amy asked.

"God's location."

Dean scoffed. He pushed past Cas and walked back over to the sink. "So, what, you think you can find this dude, and he's just gonna spill God's address?" He picked up his knife and started cleaning the blade with the washcloth.

Cas didn't turn around. "Yes, because we are gonna trap him and interrogate him," he said seriously.

Dean paused, before slowly turning back to the angel. "You're serious about this," he realized.

Cas turned around to face Dean. "Yes."

Dean dropped the washcloth back on the counter and walked back over. "So, what, I'm Thelma, and you're Louise, and we're just going to hold hands and sail off this cliff together?"

Cas and Amy both looked at Dean confused, neither of them having understood the reference.

Dean sighed and walked back around Cas. "Give me one good reason why I should do this," he said as he put the knife into his bag.

Cas turned around. "Because you're Michael's vessel, and no angel will dare harm you."

Dean turned to face the angel. "Oh, so I'm your bullet shield."

"They might still try to hurt me though, right?" Amy asked. "Considering I'm not a vessel."

Cas turned to her. "Yes," he said. "There's no doubt about it." He turned back to Dean. "I need your help because you are the only one who'll help me. Please."

Dean stared at Cas as he considered the idea. Finally, he glanced down and nodded. "All right, fine. Where is he?"

"Maine. Let's go." Cas reached out two fingers towards Dean's forehead.

Dean leaned away and held up a hand. "Whoa."

Cas frowned and removed his hand. "What?"

"Last time you zapped me someplace, I didn't poop for a week. We're driving." He grabbed his bag and turned to the door.

"Right now?" Amy asked. "It's the middle of the night, Dean. I'm tired."

Dean glanced at the clock. It was just after two in the morning. "Nah," he said decisively. "You can sleep in the car."

Amy sighed as she grabbed her bag and followed Dean out to the Impala. She slid into the back, laying down across the seat. There was a slight breeze and Cas appeared in the passenger seat.

Dean started the engine and pulled out of the parking lot. Amy closed her eyes, trying to fall asleep as the Winchester drove down the street.

* * *

**June 6th, 2008 - Waterville, Maine**

The next morning, Dean pulled up to an abandoned house.

"This is not where we need to go," Cas said as they got out of the car.

"Why are we at an abandoned house anyway?" Amy asked.

"All the motels around here are pretty damn expensive," Dean said. He circled around to the trunk and opened it up. "We're gonna lay low in here for a while. And, to answer your question Cas, we're here because we need to get ready to go to the police station."

Amy grabbed her bag from the trunk. Dean took his as well, before closing the trunk, and leading the way towards the small, wooden house.

Dean pushed the door open and they stepped inside. The inside of the house was cold and dark. A thin layer of dust covered every surface and, after a quick test, they found that most of the lights didn't work.

"Okay, I can get past everything wrong with this place," Amy began, dropping her bag to the ground, "as long as it at least has a bed."

"Hey, at least it's better than nothing," Dean said. "Wait here. I'll go change real quick and then we'll head down to the police station." He grabbed his bag and headed down the hall in search of a bathroom.

"I suppose I should change too," Amy muttered. She grabbed her bag and went upstairs in search of another bathroom to change into her uniform.

* * *

Dean and Cas were sitting at the table, waiting for her, as Amy walked back out. She had on the same detective uniform from the hospital and her hair was pulled back into a ponytail.

"Ready to go?" Dean asked.

"Yeah." Amy grabbed her FBI badge from her bag and they headed back out to the Impala. She got into the backseat as Dean and Cas got into the front.

* * *

It was a quick drive down to the police station. Dean parked the Impala across the street and the two hunters and angel got out.

"And we're here, why?" Dean asked.

"A deputy sheriff laid eyes on the archangel," Cas explained as he walked around the back of the car.

"And he still has eyes?" Dean asked as he walked around to the trunk to meet Cas. "All right, what's the plan?"

Cas thought for a moment. "We'll...tell the officer that he witnessed an angel of the Lord, and the officer will tell us where the angel is," he said.

"Seriously?" Dean asked. "You're going to walk in there and tell him the truth?"

Cas tilted his head. "Why not?"

"You can't just do that, Cas," Amy said. "Most people don't believe that angels and demons exist."

Dean took out a fake ID and stashed it into Cas's coat. "It's because we're humans, Cas." He started adjusting the angel's coat. "And when humans want something really, really bad, we lie."

Cas frowned as Dean tightened his tie. "Why?"

Dean looked Cas directly in the eyes. "Because that's how you become President." With that, Dean turned and walked across the street to the station, his head held high.

Cas frowned down at his outfit for a moment, before Amy grabbed his arm and pulled him after Dean.

They entered the police station and walked down a hallway. The deputy stood in the doorway with his back to them as they approached, talking to another officer.

"Deputy Framingham?" Dean asked, getting the man's attention.

The deputy turned around. Dean and Amy pulled out their badges.

"Hi." Dean opened his badge and showed it to the deputy. "Alonzo Mosely, FBI." He pointed to Amy and Cas. "These are my partners, Denise Walsh, and Eddie Moscone."

Amy showed her badge, but Cas didn't move.

"Also FBI," Dean said, glaring at Cas.

Cas still didn't move. He turned to Dean, who continued staring at him, before finally catching on and pulling out the FBI badge Dean had stashed in his coat. He held it out, displaying it upside down.

Dean sighed and pulled the badge from Cas's hand. Cas held his hand in the same position as Dean flipped over the badge and placed it back in his palm.

"He's, uh, he's new," Dean quickly explained. "Mind if we ask you a few questions?"

The deputy looked at Cas curiously. "Yeah, sure." He turned around and led them into his office, pointing to his right ear. "Talk here, though." He pointed to his other ear. "Hearing's all blown to hell in this one."

"That happen recently?" Dean asked.

"Yeah. Gas station." Deputy Framingham paused as he pulled out the chair behind his desk. "Why you're here, isn't it?"

Dean stared at the deputy for a moment. "Yes, it is," he finally said.

The deputy sat down, motioning for the others to sit down as well. There were only two chairs, so Dean and Amy sat while Cas stood behind them.

"You mind just, uh, running us through what happened?" Dean asked.

"A call came in. Disturbance out at the Pump and Go on Route Four," Framingham explained.

"What kind of disturbance?"

The deputy shook his head slightly. "Would not have believed my eyes if I hadn't seen it myself. We're talking a riot. Full scale."

"How many?" Amy asked.

"Thirty, forty," Framingham guessed, "in all-out kill-or-be-killed combat?"

"Any idea what set them off?"

The deputy opened his mouth, trying to find the right words.

Cas leaned down, closer to Dean. "It's angels and demons, probably."

Amy mentally facepalmed as Framingham looked over at Cas. Cas turned to him. "They're skirmishing all over the globe," he continued.

"Come again?" Framingham turned to Dean. "What did he say?"

"Nothing," Dean and Amy said.

"Demons," Cas said at the same time.

"Nothing.

"Demons."

Dean gave the deputy a light chuckle. "Demons, you know, drink, adultery," he quickly explained. "We all have our demons, Walt."

Framingham looked back and forth between the two hunters and Cas. "I guess," he said slowly.

"Anyway," Dean said, quickly changing the subject. "What happened next?"

"Freaking explosion, that's what. They said it was one of those underground gas tanks, but, uh, I don't think so."

"Why not?"

"Wasn't your usual fireball. It was, um—"

"Pure white," Cas finished.

Framingham looked over at Cas. He stared at the angel for a moment, before nodding. "Yeah. Gas station was leveled. Everyone was...it was just horrible." He narrowed his eyes. "And I see this one guy, kneeling, real focused-like, not a damn scratch on him."

"You know him?" Amy asked.

"Donnie Finneman. Mechanic there."

"Let me guess, he just, uh, vanished into thin air?" Dean asked.

"Uh, no, Kolchak. He's down at Saint Pete's."

Dean gave the deputy a small smile and nodded.

Cas leaned down, right next to Dean's ear. "Saint Pete's."

Dean slowly turned to face Cas. "Thank you."

Amy sighed and shook her head. She turned to the deputy. "Thank you for your time."

They stood up and left the station. Amy waited until they were outside again before speaking.

"Cas? Buddy? What part of 'we can't tell them the truth' did you not understand?"

"But I...I don't understand," Cas said, frowning at her. "If we had just told him the truth then he would have-"

Amy cut him off. "Then he would have probably called us crazy and kicked us out."

They reached the car. Dean got in while Cas and Amy continued talking.

"But lying is wrong."

"Yeah, well-" Amy opened the back door "-sometimes it's necessary."

Amy got into the car and closed the door. She glanced out the window to see Cas still standing outside, looking confused. She opened the door back up and poked her head out.

"This is the part where you get in the car."

Cas finally got the message and opened the door, getting in next to Dean. Dean impatiently started the engine and started towards the hospital.

* * *

When they reached the hospital, Amy and Cas waited for Dean to go to the front desk and get the room number for Donnie Finneman.

A moment later, Dean walked back over. "Room 238."

The three of them headed up to the second floor and down the hall to the room. They looked in through the window to see Donnie sitting in a wheelchair, facing the outside window as he rocked back and forth.

"Poor guy," Amy muttered.

"I take it that's not Raphael anymore," Dean said.

Cas shook his head. "Just an empty vessel."

"So is this what I'm looking at if Michael jumps in my bones?" Dean asked.

"No, not at all." Cas turned to Dean. "Michael is much more powerful. It'll be far worse for you."

Dean turned away from the window.

Amy frowned and slapped Cas in the back of the head. "Not helping," she hissed. She looked over at Dean. "Maybe we should figure out a plan and come back later," she suggested.

Dean nodded. "Yeah, that, uh, that sounds like a good idea." He headed back down the hall, towards the elevator. Cas followed after him. Amy took one last look inside the room, before running after the other hunter and the angel. They took the elevator back down to the first floor and headed back out to the Impala.

"So what's the plan?" Dean asked as they walked towards the car.

"I know of a ritual that can summon and trap Raphael," Cas said.

"How do we do this ritual?" Amy asked. Cas didn't answer, so she turned around, only to find the angel gone.

* * *

They stopped at a diner to get a quick bite to eat before heading back to the house. Cas still hadn't returned by the time they got back, so Amy and Dean took it upon themselves to pace around the house as they waited for him to return.

Amy sat at the table, watching as Dean walked through the empty hallways for several minutes, flipping through his dad's journal. He walked over to the window, setting the journal on the table.

As Dean turned around, Cas suddenly appeared out of nowhere. He stood in the entrance to the living room, holding a ceramic jar.

"Where've you been?" Dean asked.

"Jerusalem," Cas replied bluntly.

Dean looked taken aback. "Oh, how was it?"

Cas walked into the room, setting the jar on the table. "Arid."

Amy pointed to the jar. "That's holy oil, right?"

"What's holy oil?" Dean asked when Cas nodded.

"It's very special. Very rare," Cas explained as he sat down across from Amy

"Put an angel in a ring of fire using this and they can't get out," Amy said. "Can't cross or touch it."

Dean nodded. "So this ritual of yours, when does it got to go down?"

"Sunrise."

"Tell me something. You keep saying we're gonna trap this guy. Isn't that kinda like trapping a hurricane with a butterfly net?"

"No, it's harder," Cas replied seriously.

"Do we have any chance of surviving this?"

"You do."

Dean stared at the angel for a moment. "So odds are you're a dead man tomorrow."

"Yes."

"Well. Last night on earth. What are your plans?" Dean asked.

"I just thought I'd sit here quietly," Cas said.

Amy tried to stifle a laugh as Dean stood behind Cas and leaned down closer to him.

"Come on, anything? Booze, women?"

Cas looked away uncomfortably.

"You have been with women before. Right?" Dean pushed. "Or an angel, at least?"

Cas awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck.

"You mean to tell me you've never been up there doing a little cloud-seeding?"

"Look, I've never had occasion, okay?" Cas admitted.

Dean straightened up, staring at the back of Cas's head for a moment. "All right." He grabbed his jacket from the back of Amy's chair and put it on as he continued talking. "Let me tell you something. There are two things I know for certain. One, Bert and Ernie are gay. Two, you are not gonna die a virgin. Not on my watch." He grabbed the keys to the Impala. "Let's go. Amy, you too."

"What?" Amy asked in shock. "Hell no. You boys have fun, but I'd prefer to stay here."

Dean frowned, before shrugging. "Your loss." He led Cas out of the house, leaving Amy on her own.

* * *

Amy sighed, lying on her back on the couch. She would have given anything for a strong wifi connection right now, but it seemed unlikely that was going to happen. She had almost considered going with Dean and Cas but had quickly shaken off the thought, having no interest at all in what they were doing.

' _Hey, Gabe-y_?' she thought. ' _Dean, Cas, and I are staying at an abandoned cabin down the street from the police station in Waterville, Maine. I'm here by myself right now, bored out of my mind. Dean took your brother to a bar. Probably to get laid.'_

"He what?"

Amy sat up, laughing. "Seriously? That's what got you here."

Gabe walked over to her, holding his hands up defensively. "I'm sorry. I heard you say Dean took Castiel to possibly get laid and I just..." he trailed off as he sat on the couch. "I mean, I knew those guys liked each other and all but not that much."

Amy started laughing again. "Okay, first off, no. Second, knowing Cas, he'll say something awkward and ruin everything."

Gabe nodded in agreement. "Cut him some slack, though. He hasn't been on Earth nearly as long as I have."

"True. I really gotta show him some movies, TV shows, maybe get him to read a few books. Get some pop culture references in that head of his."

Gabe nodded. He looked around the abandoned house. "What in the world are you guys doing here?"

Amy shrugged. "If you mean here and not in a motel, like normal, I've got no freaking clue. If you mean in this town, Cas came to Dean asking for his help tracking down Raphael."

"The ninja turtle?"

"Gabriel!"

Gabe started laughing. "Okay, no, but seriously though. Why does Cas wanna find that guy?"

"I guess he thinks he can get info on God's location out of him."

Gabe raised an eyebrow. "He's kidding, right? Tell Cas I already tried. No luck." Realization crossed across his face. "Actually, uh, don't tell him that I tried specifically."

Amy nodded as she suddenly remembered something. "That reminds me," she said, "I don't know exactly when, but Sam and Dean find out who you are pretty soon."

Gabe frowned. "When?"

"I don't know when," Amy admitted. "The timeline in the show versus the world I watched the show in is a little off. Months sometimes passed between episodes when the episodes themselves aired a week apart. I do know it's in a few episodes, though. So probably not much longer."

"I slip up, don't I?"

Amy nodded. "Like I told you before, they eventually figure it out on their own."

Gabe didn't say anything. He frowned as he tipped his head towards the ground.

Amy walked over to the archangel. "You okay?"

Gabe looked back up at her. "Yeah. I know you told me those two found out about me eventually, but I guess I didn't expect it to be-"

"So soon?" Amy finished. Gabe nodded and she sat back down on the couch next to him. "Sorry, Gabe."

Gabe cleared his throat. "Any idea when Dean and Cas will be getting back?" he asked, changing the subject.

"No idea. They left a couple of minutes before you showed up so I'd imagine it'll be a few hours before they get back. Why?"

"Just wanted to know when I should bail out of here. It's fine, though. I don't sleep. If I stay longer, I can just stay awake and leave as soon as they get back."

Amy gave the archangel a small smile, before turning it into a frown. She knew he died this season, towards the end before Sam jumped into the cage with Lucifer.

"Something on your mind, kiddo?" Gabe asked, looking at her curiously.

Amy hesitated for a moment. "I...Gabe, there's something I need to tell you," she finally said much faster than she had intended to.

Gabe crossed his arms. "Something to do with me?"

Amy nodded. "It's pretty major."

"What is it?"

"It has to do with Lucifer and-"

Gabe held up a hand, cutting her off. "I don't wanna hear it."

Amy looked taken aback. "Wh-what?"

"I don't want to hear it," Gabe repeated. "I want nothing to do with anything going on in heaven or hell so whatever you're about to say, don't."

Amy glared at the archangel. "I just don't want anything to happen to you," she said quietly.

Pushing past Gabe, Amy stormed upstairs and into the first room she saw. She slammed the door behind her and slid down along the door until she was sitting on the floor. She brought her knees to her chest, burying her face in them.

"Amy?" Gabe's voice called out from the hallway. "Kiddo?"

"Don't call me kiddo," Amy muttered.

There was a moment of silence before Gabe spoke again. "Listen, I uh, I think I have some idea of what you were about to tell me downstairs. And if I'm right, then you don't have to worry." There was a slight breeze and he suddenly appeared in the room, crouching down next to Amy. "This trickster's got a few tricks up his sleeve."

Amy turned her head, but Gabe was already gone. She turned her head towards the ceiling and rested it against the door as she closed her eyes. Gabriel was one of her closest friends in this world and in just a few months, maybe more or maybe less, there was a chance she was going to see him die. She didn't want that. More than anything, she didn't want that to happen, and she might have just lost her one chance to stop it.

Eventually, Amy headed back downstairs. Dean and Cas were still at the bar, and it was getting late, so she curled up on the couch. It was anything but comfortable, but it was the only other piece of furniture in the entire house besides the table and chairs, so it was better than nothing. After taking a few minutes to find a comfortable position, she fell asleep.

* * *

**June 7th, 2009 - Waterville, Maine**

Amy woke up the next morning to find Dean sitting at the table, asleep as he lay his head back against the glass of the window. Cas was standing against the other wall, watching him with a determined look on his face.

"How long have you been standing there?" Amy asked as she sat up.

"Five hours and twenty-eight minutes," the angel replied.

Amy rolled her eyes at the angel's seriousness. "What happened last night?"

Cas rubbed the back of his neck. "Dean took me to a den of iniquity but I was told that what I did was inappropriate."

Amy blinked several times. "I don't think I wanna know what it is that you did."

"I tried to set him up with one of the hookers there." Amy turned to see that Dean was now awake. "He told her...what was it again? Something about her father leaving because he didn't like his job?"

"I told her that it wasn't her fault her father left because he didn't like his job at the post office," Cas clarified.

Amy groaned. "Oh, Cas. That...you don't...just no."

Cas hung his head. "My apologies."

"Eh, you're still learning," Amy said. She stood up and walked closer to the other two. "So are we doing this ritual thing or...?" she trailed off as she waited for an answer.

"Yeah," Dean said. "We're heading back to the hospital today to do it."

Amy frowned. "Doesn't this involve the ring of fire?"

"Yes," Cas replied bluntly.

"So, our plan is to go to a public hospital and put a patient in a ring of fire?" Amy looked between Dean and Cas in disbelief. "Do you two have any idea how insane that sounds?"

"This ritual works quickly," Cas informed her. "No one will notice."

Amy closed her eyes and let out a long sigh. "If you say so. When are we going?"

"Visiting hours at the hospital start soon," Dean said, looking at his watch. "We should probably leave in a few minutes."

"What about breakfast?" Amy asked.

"We'll get something on the way back." Dean stood up. "But the sooner we do this, the sooner we can get the hell out of town."

"What if the ritual doesn't work?" Amy wondered aloud.

"It will work," Cas insisted.

"We don't know that for sure," Amy pointed out. "What if he comes here?"

Dean thought for a moment. "You've got a point. We should put one of those holy oil rings on the floor here," he suggested. "Maybe near the kitchen."

Cas nodded. He grabbed the ceramic jar of holy oil from the table and walked further into the room, stopping in the doorway between the living room and the kitchen. He poured the oil on the floor in the shape of a large circle, before rejoining Dean and Amy.

"Ready?" Dean asked.

"Yes," Cas said. Amy nodded.

Dean grabbed the keys to the Impala and they headed out to the car. Amy got into the back while Dean and Cas climbed in the front, and they took off towards the hospital.

* * *

They reached the hospital just as visiting hours were starting and headed straight towards room 238. Cas headed inside the room while Dean and Amy stood outside the door, acting as lookouts.

A blonde nurse nodded at Dean as she walked by. Dean watched the nurse walk down the hallway, eyeing her in amusement.

Amy rolled her eyes and headed into Donnie's room. Dean followed her in and closed the door behind him. Amy sat down on the bed as he closed the blinds, darkening the room.

Cas had wheeled Donnie into the center of the room. He took the jar of holy oil and poured it in a circle around the wheelchair.

"So we trap him in a steel cage of holy fire," Dean said, "but one question. How the hell do we get him here?"

"There's, well, almost an open phone line between a vessel and his angel." Cas set the jar down by the window. "One just has to know how to dial."

Amy and Dean watched as Cas stepped closer to Donnie and leaned close to his ear. He chanted something the hunters couldn't understand before saying something in English that Amy almost couldn't hear.

"I'm here, Raphael. Come and get me, you little bastard," the angel growled. He stepped out of the circle of oil and stood next to Dean, pulling out a small box of matches.

"Just out of curiosity, what is the average customer wait time to speak to an archangel?" Dean asked.

"Be ready." Cas lit a match and dropped it on the oil. The ring burst into flames around the wheelchair, and they started to wait.

* * *

Dean and Amy took turns being lookouts to make sure none of the nurses entered the room. At one point, Amy wandered around until she found a vending machine. She bought herself a bag of chips and a soda before heading back up to the room. She sat down on the bed and ate her snack as the minutes and hours ticked by.

"I thought you said this didn't take long," Amy said around late afternoon.

"It shouldn't have taken this long," Cas agreed. "Something is wrong."

"Gee, you think?" Dean asked from the window. "I was hoping we'd be out of here by now."

"Have patience," Cas said. "Raphael will come."

"Awesome," Amy whispered. She crumbled up her empty chip bag and tossed it into the trash, before lying down across the bed.

* * *

"Well that's a day I'll never get back," Dean said angrily as he drove up the long driveway of the house.

After several more long, agonizing hours at the hospital, Raphael had never shown up. They had finally left around eight that night when a nurse had informed Amy that visiting hours had ended. Dean had seemed particularly frustrated as he led them back down to the Impala.

They got out of the car and headed up to the house. Cas seemed to realize something as Dean opened the door and hurried after him.

"Dean, wait."

There was a bright light as the three of them entered the house. Amy looked over to see Donnie, now possessed by Raphael, standing in the kitchen. Lightning flared behind him in the shape of wings as lightbulbs shattered around the house and it went dark.

Amy stared, unamused, at the lightning-shaped wings. "Now, see, that? That is just showing off."

Raphael turned to Cas. "Castiel."

"Raphael," Cas said in acknowledgment. He started walking closer to the archangel. Dean and Amy followed.

"And I thought you were supposed to be impressive," Dean said as he looked Raphael up and down. "All you do is blackout the room."

"And the Eastern Seaboard." Lightning flashed outside the house as Raphael spoke. "It is a testament to my unending mercy that I do not smite you here and now," he said to Cas.

"Or maybe you're full of crap," Dean countered uneasily. "Maybe you're afraid God will bring Cas back to life again and smite you and your candy-ass skirt." He smiled and waved at the archangel. "By the way, hi, I'm Dean."

"I know who you are," Raphael said. He turned to Amy, who stood more confidently than Dean was at that moment. "Just like I know who she is. And now, thanks to him, I know where you are."

"You won't kill him. You wouldn't dare," Cas stated.

"But I will take him to Michael."

"Well then. Sounds terrifying. It does." Dean walked across the room and grabbed a beer from the cooler. "But, uh, hate to tell you, I'm not going anywhere with you."

"Surely you remember Zachariah giving you stomach cancer?" Raphael asked as Dean turned his back to him and took a sip of his beer.

There was a long pause before Dean turned back to the room. "Yeah, that was, that was hilarious."

"Well, he doesn't have anything close to my imagination." Raphael stepped closer, right into the circle of holy oil.

Dean smirked. "Yeah? I bet you didn't imagine one thing."

"What?"

"We knew you were coming, you stupid son of a bitch." Dean lit his lighter and dropped it on the holy oil. It burst into flames, surrounding Raphael.

Amy smirked as Raphael glared at them.

Dean gestured to Amy. "Don't look at me, it was her idea."

Amy waved. "Guilty as charged."

"Where is He?" Cas demanded.

"God?" Raphael asked. Cas nodded. "Didn't you hear? He's dead, Castiel. Dead."

"What do you mean, dead?" Cas asked.

"There's no other explanation. He's gone for good," Raphael said.

Cas glared at him. "You're lying."

"Am I? Do you remember the twentieth century? Think the twenty-first is going any better? Do you think God would have let any of that happen if He were alive?"

"Oh yeah? Well, then who invented the Chinese basket trick?" Dean asked jokingly.

Raphael glared at him. "Careful. That's my Father you're talking about, boy."

"Yeah, who would be so proud to know His sons started the frigging apocalypse." Dean turned and walked to the window behind him. A storm was brewing outside and the wind was blowing strongly.

"Who ran off and disappeared," Raphael argued. "Who left no instructions and a world to run."

Dean walked back over to the others. "Daddy ran away and disappeared. He didn't happen to work for the post office, did He?"

"This is funny to you? You're living in a godless universe."

' _Beg to differ_ ,' Amy thought.

"And?" Dean snapped. "What, you and the other kids just decided to throw an apocalypse while He was gone?"

"We're tired," Raphael defended. "We just want it to be over. We just want..." he turned to Cas, "paradise."

"So, what, God dies and makes you the boss, and you decide you can do whatever you want?"

"Yes," Raphael snapped. "And whatever we want, we get."

Everyone except Raphael suddenly ducked as the window behind them blew out. Amy covered her head as glass flew towards them. The wind picked up outside, blowing rain into the house.

"If God is dead, why have I returned?" Cas asked, shouting above the wind. "Who brought me back?"

"Did it ever occur to you that maybe Lucifer raised you?"

Cas shook his head. "No."

"Don't listen to him, Cas," Amy shouted.

"Think about it," Raphael continued. "He needs all the rebellious angels he can find. You know it adds up."

Cas glared at Raphael for a moment. "Let's go," he finally said, turning away.

"Castiel, I'm warning you. Do not leave me here," Raphael threatened. "I will find you."

Cas slowly turned back to the archangel. "Maybe one day. But today, you're my little bitch."

Dean smirked, jabbing a finger at Cas. "What he said."

The hunters and angel walked out of the house, leaving Raphael alone in the ring of fire.

Amy burst out laughing as the door closed behind her. "Dude, Cas, that was awesome!"

"I gotta agree with Amy there," Dean said. "Didn't know you had that in you, man." He let out a hearty laugh as they approached the Impala and got in. Dean started the engine and they drove away.

The rain started to die down as Dean drove them down the driveway. He turned to Cas, who was staring out through the windshield with a sorrowful expression on his face. "You okay?"

Cas didn't reply.

Dean scoffed. "Look, I'll be the first to tell you that this little crusade of yours is nuts, but I do know a little something about missing fathers."

"What do you mean?" Cas asked, not looking at Dean.

"I mean, there were times when I was looking for my dad when all logic said that he was dead, but I knew in my heart he was still alive," Dean explained. "Who cares what some ninja turtle says, Cas, what do you believe?"

Cas was silent for a moment, before finally answering. "I believe he's out there."

"Trust me, Cas," Amy said from the backseat, "Lucifer didn't bring you back to life."

"How can you be sure?" Cas asked, turning to her.

Amy sighed. "I just am," she stated.

Cas turned back towards the front. "What about you?" he asked Dean.

"What about me?" Dean repeated. He shrugged. "I don't know. Honestly, I'm good," he admitted. "I can't believe I'm saying that, but I am, I'm really good."

"Even without your brother?" Cas asked.

"Especially without my brother," Dean said after a pause. "I mean, I spent so much time worrying about the son of a bitch. I mean, I've had more fun with you in the past twenty-four hours than I've had with Sam in years, and you're not that much fun." He jabbed a thumb towards the backseat. "Besides, I still got Amy with me to get through this." He chuckled. "It's funny, you know, I've been so chained to my family, but now that Sam isn't here, hell, I'm happy."

Dean looked over to see that Cas had already left. Amy saw the smile on his face fall before he turned back to the road. After a moment, he nodded towards the empty passenger seat. "You can come back up to the front now," he said.

Amy climbed over the seat and sat down next to Dean.

"Are you really happier without Sam here?" Amy asked.

Dean didn't reply for several moments. "Yeah," he finally said, not turning away from the road. "I am."

Amy didn't say anything. If her timing was right, it was only a matter of time before Sam learned he was Lucifer's true vessel. That was the one thing she knew she couldn't do anything about, no matter how much she wanted to. She turned her head and looked out the window. The rain beat down on the glass as Dean drove the silent car through the night.

* * *

**June 8th, 2009 - Noxen, Pennsylvania**

Amy fell asleep at some point. Eventually, Dean woke her up, saying they were at a motel for the night. She stretched her stiff neck, before grabbing her bag and following Dean up to the motel room he had already checked them into.

By the time they got up to the room, Amy was already starting to wake up slightly. She tossed her bag by the foot of the far bed and sat down, looking over at Dean, who had already collapsed onto the other bed.

"Dean?" she asked in a hushed voice. "You still awake?"

In response Dean rolled over onto his other side, his back now towards her. She sighed and lay down on her pillow, staring up at the ceiling.

' _What happens next?_ ' she thought. Dean gets sent to the future, but she wasn't sure when exactly that was meant to happen. Maybe she would get sent there too?

Amy rolled over to her side. Or maybe she wouldn't. Zachariah was the one that sent Dean to the future to convince Dean to say yes to Michael, so why would he send her?

How far did Dean get sent again? Four years? Five? Six? She couldn't really remember. Amy yawned as her tiredness began to overcome her again. She surely had a bit of time to wait before all of this happened, but right now, she just wanted to sleep.

Pulling the covers up to her chin, Amy began to wonder if Sam was doing alright. She wasn't sure if he had found out about being Lucifer's vessel yet, but if he hadn't it would probably be soon. Amy considered telling Dean about it, but didn't really know what good it would do. It wouldn't stop Sam from finding out, or eventually saying yes. It wouldn't stop him from overpowering the devil and jumping into the pit only to soon return, but let Dean live a normal life for a year. Telling Dean wouldn't stop any of that.

Amy closed her eyes, drifting into a much needed sleep as she pondered all of this. So much was happening this season and it was all a bit overwhelming. She wasn't really sure if she was ready for it or not.


	35. The End

**June 9th, 2009 - Kansas City, Missouri**

After waking up in their motel room in Albany the previous day, they had gotten back into the Impala and had started driving aimlessly. Dean didn't seem to know where he was going. They'd driven nonstop almost the entire day until finally ending up in Kansas City.

Dean pulled the Impala next to a parking meter in front of Century Hotel. He and Amy grabbed their bags from the backseat and started heading towards the entrance.

An evangelist stood in front of the hotel, holding pamphlets out for everyone who walked by. He stopped Dean and Amy as they passed him. "Excuse me, friends, but have you taken time out to think about God's plan for you?"

Amy scoffed. ' _I freaking know the guy_ ,' she thought.

Dean stopped and turned to the man, looking him up and down. "Too friggin' much, pal." He turned and headed inside the hotel. Amy quickly followed as the evangelist watched them leave.

* * *

They checked into Room 113 and headed down the hall. The room was small. There was a small kitchenette and two twin beds that didn't look very comfortable, but not much else.

"Speaking of plans," Amy spoke once they set their bags down, "we do have one for the whole defeating Lucifer thing, right?"

Dean shook his head. "Go in guns blazing?"

Amy chuckled slightly. "I highly doubt that'll work."

"Yeah." Dean pulled out his phone as it began to ring and answered it. "Hey, Cas."

Dean walked over to the window, putting the call on speaker as he did so.

"-if we move fast, we should be able to retrieve it," Cas was saying.

"We're talking about the Colt, right?" Dean asked. He closed the curtains over one of the windows. "I mean, as in _the_ Colt?"

"We are," Cas confirmed.

"Didn't Bela get a hold of it?" Amy asked.

"Yes, but I heard she sold it," Cas said. "To demons."

Dean closed the other curtain. 'Well, that doesn't make any sense. I mean, why would the demons keep a gun around that, uh, kills demons?"

The sound of a large truck driving by could be heard over the speaker.

"What?" Cas shouted. "What? Did—" he lowered his voice as the sound died down. "I didn't—I didn't get that."

Amy smiled in amusement as Dean chuckled.

"You know, it's kind of funny." Dean leaned against the counter while Amy sat on one of the beds. "Talking to a messenger of God on a cellphone. It's, you know, like watching a Hell's Angel ride a moped."

"This isn't funny, Dean," Cas insisted. "The voice says I'm almost out of minutes."

"Okay, all right," Dean said, getting serious again. "I'm—I'm telling you, Cas, the mooks have melted down the gun by now."

"Well, I hear differently. And if it's true and if you are still set on the insane task of killing the devil, this is how we do it."

"Okay. Where do we start?" Dean asked. He walked over and sat down on the bed next to Amy.

"Where are you now?"

"Century Hotel, Room 113 in Kansas City," Amy said.

"I'll be there immediately."

"Okay, hold on, Cas," Amy stopped him. "Maybe in a little while you can drop by, okay?"

"Yeah," Dean agreed. "I mean, come on man. Me and Amy, we just drove like sixteen hours straight, okay? We're human. And there's stuff we got to do."

"What stuff?" Cas demanded.

"Eat, sleep, breathe," Amy listed off a few things.

"I just need like four hours once in a while, okay?" Dean continued.

"Yes."

"Okay, so, you can pop in tomorrow morning."

"Yes. I'll just—"

Amy saw Dean go to hang up his phone and quickly snatched it out of his hands.

"-wait here then," Cas finished.

Amy glared at Dean as she took the phone off speaker. "Cas, please, whatever you do, don't stand on the side of the road all night."

"Why not?"

"Because a guy standing on the side of the road alone in the middle of the night while wearing a trench coat almost never looks good. Okay? Find a diner, go on a..." she trailed off, trying to think of something, "I don't know, midnight hike? Just, don't stand there in one place for four hours straight."

There was a brief pause. "I will...try to find something to do."

"Alright," Amy said, slightly relieved. "I'll see you in the morning, then. Night, Cas."

Amy hung up the call and handed Dean back his phone. He took it back, sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck.

"Thanks," he muttered.

"Uh-huh." Amy yawned. She glanced over at the time to see that it was now nearing 1:30. "I'm heading to bed." Without another word, she collapsed onto the uncomfortable, squeaky bed and fell asleep.

* * *

**August 4th, 2014**

Amy woke up the next morning to find that something was a bit off. For starters, she was no longer lying on a mattress, but rather on a bunch of springs, which were digging into her arm. She groaned as she sat up and looked around to see that the alarm clock between the beds had been smashed at around 4:15 and almost everything in the room from the night before was now gone.

Dean was staring out the broken window. He turned around as she stood up and walked over. "Where the hell are we?" he asked.

Amy poked her head out of the window, looking down at the city below. Every building within eyesight had been destroyed, almost as if bombs had gone off in each one. Overturned scraps of cars and trash lay in the streets below, and the movie theater next door displayed a sign about playing a movie titled 'Route 666,' one of Chuck's books.

Bringing her head back into the motel room, Amy turned back to Dean. "I think...I think we're in the future."

"The future?" Dean repeated. "Did an angel do this?"

"I think so," Amy said with a nod. "If I had to guess, I'd say it was Zachariah."

Dean groaned. "Son of a bitch! How the hell did he even find us?" He headed towards the door. "Come on, let's go see if we can find anyone out there."

The two hunters headed down into the streets, now getting a better view of everything. Dark storm clouds brewed overhead and a fridge, presumably one of the ones from the hotel, lay on the sidewalk. Everywhere they walked, it became more apparent that the town had been like this for a while.

"What the hell is going on in this town, Ames?" Dean asked.

"I don't know."

They continued walking down the deserted street. The sound of glass breaking eventually caught their attention. After sharing a quick glance, they walked towards it.

The sound led them to an alleyway, where a little girl in a dirty, tattered dress was kneeling down in front of a teddy bear and several large shards of glass.

Dean began to approach her slowly. "Little girl?"

The girl didn't react in any way.

"Little girl?" Dean repeated.

The girl stayed unresponsive. Amy began to get an uneasy feeling in her stomach.

"Are you hurt?" Dean asked.

No response.

"Dean, something feels wrong here," Amy said, shifting uncomfortably on her feet. "I think we should go."

Dean ignored her. "You know the not-talking thing is kind of creepy, right?" He knelt down next to the girl as blood fell from her mouth and landed on the glass.

The girl suddenly looked up at Dean. She grabbed a large shard of glass and swung it at him. Dean stood up and dodged another swing, before knocking her out with a single punch.

The girl fell flat onto a nearby mattress. Amy walked over as Dean held his side where the girl had cut him.

"What is this?" Amy asked. "Zombie apocalypse?"

"Close."

Amy followed Dean's gaze to see a wall across from the alley, with 'Croatoan' graffitied in large, red letters.

Amy sighed. "Crap."

A large group suddenly appeared around the corner. They caught sight of Dean and Amy and stood there for a moment, staring at them, before breaking into a sprint and chasing them out of the alley.

Dean and Amy spun around and broke out into a sprint as the group of Croatoans chased after them. Dean was significantly faster than Amy, but the infected people were also slower. They sprinted down the street until a chain-link fence blocked their path. Turning around, the two hunters found themselves surrounded by the Croatoans.

The zombie-like people slowly approached as Dean and Amy backed into the fence. Out of nowhere, several tanks arrived and bullets began flying around them, hitting the Croatoans. 'Do You Love Me' by The Contours began playing loudly from one of the tanks as soldiers climbed out, shooting at the infected people.

Dean and Amy quickly ducked out of the way. They hurried through a small opening in another fence and ran down another alley, sliding down against the wall to catch their breath as the Croatoans were shot down.

* * *

They waited in silence until the gunshots had stopped before slipping back through the fence and heading back towards the one that had blocked their path earlier. Amy kept watch while Dean found something to cut away at the fence with.

Night had fallen by the time they got through to the other side. They slipped through the fence, spotting a sign on the other side that read:

'CROATOAN VIRUS HOT ZONE

NO ENTRY

BY ORDER OF ACTING REGIONAL COMMAND

AUGUST 1, 2014

KANSAS CITY'

"August first, 2014," Dean muttered, running a hand down the sign.

"I hate this," Amy muttered. "I hate this a lot."

"Yeah, me too."

They turned back around to see a Buick in semi-perfect condition sitting nearby.

"Conveniently located car is convenient," Amy said as they approached.

Dean hotwired the car. It sprung to life with half a tank of gas and they climbed into the front. He took his phone from his pocket and held it up, searching for a signal, as he drove down the road. After a moment, he set the phone down and turned on the radio. Only static came from the speakers. He flipped the radio off.

"That's never a good sign," he muttered.

"Croatoan pandemic reaches Australia," a voice Amy definitely didn't want to hear said from the backseat.

Amy turned around to see Zachariah sitting in the back, reading from a newspaper. "Oh goodie," she said sarcastically. "It's you."

"I thought I smelled your stink on this _Back to the Future_ crap," Dean added.

Zachariah flipped to another page. "President Palin defends bombing of Houston." Certainly a buyer's market in real estate. Let's see what's happening in sports." He scoffed. "That's right—no more sports. Congress revoked the right to group assembly. What's left of Congress, that is. Hardly a quorum, if you ask me."

"How did you find us?" Dean demanded.

"Afraid we had to tap some unorthodox resources of late," Zachariah explained. "Human informants. We've been making inspirational visits to the fringier Christian groups. They've been given your image, told to keep an eye out."

"The Bible freak outside the motel," Dean realized. "He, what, dropped a dime on me?"

"Onward, Christian soldiers." Zachariah paused. "Although, I'm not sure why she's here."

"You mean you didn't send me here?" Amy asked, turning to face the angel.

"No, unfortunately, we didn't."

"Great, so send me back then," Amy snapped. "Or, better yet, send us both back."

"Oh, you'll get back—all in good time. We want Dean to marinate a bit."

"Marinate?" Dean repeated.

"Three days, Dean. Three days to see where this course of action takes you."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means that your choices have consequences." Zachariah held up the newspaper. "This is what happens to the world if you continue to say 'no' to Michael. Have a little look-see."

The angel suddenly vanished. Dean slammed a hand down on the steering wheel in frustration.

"Well at least now we know why we're here," Amy said.

"Yeah, cause we got touched by a friggin angel," Dean growled. "He said he didn't know why you were here though."

"Yeah, well, neither do I." Amy sighed. "So the angels brought you here, but obviously someone else brought me here."

"Any idea who?"

Amy nodded. "I got one idea of who it could have been, but I'm not saying who."

Dean shook his head. "Bobby's is only a few hours from here," he told her. "What do you think the chances are that he's there?"

"Probably pretty slim," Amy replied truthfully. "I doubt he would have stayed there with these things running around."

Dean was silent. "Do you think he's okay?"

Amy turned to Dean. Her face fell as she considered the possibility of what the other hunter was implying. "I don't know," was all she could say. "I really don't know."

Dean's grip tightened on the steering wheel.

* * *

**August 5th, 2014 - Sioux Falls, South Dakota**

They reached Bobby's house early the next morning. The outside of the house was trashed, much like the rest of the world. Weeds had overgrown over the front porch and most of the windows that they could see had been smashed.

Dean pushed on the front door to find it unlocked. He pushed it in and Amy followed him inside.

"Bobby?" Dean called out. There was no answer. "Bobby, we're coming in!"

Almost every piece of furniture had been overturned and a layer of dust and spiderwebs covered almost everything in sight. It was obvious no one had been here in a long time.

Dean and Amy made their way into the study and Dean's face fell when he turned towards the next room. "Oh, no," he whispered.

Amy followed his gaze to see Bobby's wheelchair laying on its side. Spiderwebs were between the wheels and there were several bullet holes as well as dried blood on the back of the seat.

Amy sighed. "Bobby, no."

Dean picked the wheelchair up and knelt down beside it, examining the bullet holes. "Where is everybody, Bobby?" he asked. Straightening back up again, he made his way over to the fireplace. He brushed the spiderwebs away and pulled out a hidden compartment.

Inside the compartment was a journal. Amy joined Dean as he flipped through the pages, eventually coming across a photo of what appeared to be five hunters, including Bobby.

Amy pointed to one of the men in the photo. "Holy shit, is that Cas?"

"Camp Chitaqua." Dean tapped on the photo. "I know where that is," he realized. "Dad took me hunting there when I was younger. It's in a forest, just outside of Kansas City."

"Right where we just were?" Amy asked.

Dean nodded. "It's gotta be, what five miles from the hotel?"

"Do you think everyone's still there?"

"Only way to find out is to go there." Dean closed Bobby's journal and stuck the photograph into his pocket. "At the very least we can look for Cas. Maybe he can get us out of this apocalyptic hell-hole."

Amy followed Dean out the front door. "Hey, what do you think future me is like?"

Dean smirked. "I'll bet anything she's a badass."

Amy smiled as they reached the Buick. "Yeah?" She climbed into the passenger seat as Dean started the engine.

"Knowing you in '09," Dean continued as he pulled away from the house, "in five years you're bound to kick ass like nothing I've seen yet."

The smile stayed on Amy's face. "Guess we'll find out when we find everyone."

Amy rested her head against the window. "And hopefully we can get out of here."

* * *

**Kansas City, Missouri - Camp Chitaqua**

They got back to Kansas City that evening, eventually coming up on the fence that surrounded the town. Dean drove around, but it became clear that they would need to walk the rest of the way.

Dean parked the car near a dirt road and the two hunters got out. They hid the car amongst the trees and began the walk towards the campsite.

They reached the camp that night. The sign from the photo was visible just through the overgrown grass. Dean and Amy crept closer to a fence where armed guards were patrolling on the other side.

Through the fence, they caught sight of the Impala. It was hidden away, broken, and rusted. The hood had been bent out of shape and every window had been shattered.

Dean let out a shaky breath. "Oh, baby, no."

They climbed through an opening in the fence and approached the car. Dean peered inside the driver's side as Amy watched.

"Oh, no, baby, what did they do to you?"

Amy suddenly heard a noise, like the snapping of a twig. She didn't have time to react before something hit her in the back of the head and everything went black.

* * *

**August 6th, 2014**

Amy slowly came to the next morning, sitting on the ground in a cabin. She tried to move, but her wrist was behind her, handcuffed to a pipe. She tried to use her powers to unlock the cuffs, but nothing happened.

"Don't bother," she heard Dean say. She turned to see him sitting on a table in the center of the room. He looked different than the Dean she had been with, however. This Dean looked older and he was wearing a green military-style jacket rather than the blue one he had just been wearing. "Those cuffs are designed so you can't use your powers to escape them," he continued.

"What?" Amy asked in shock, her voice barely coming out as a whisper.

A rattling sound brought her attention to the other Dean on the other side of the room. His wrist was handcuffed to another pipe, just above him. The other hunter looked around, eyes landing on his future self. "What the hell?" he muttered.

"I should be asking that question, don't you think?" he asked. He aimed the gun at his past self's face. "In fact, why don't you give me one good reason why I shouldn't gank you right here and now?" He switched the gun over to Amy. "Both of you."

Amy almost couldn't believe what she was seeing. This definitely wasn't the Dean she had spent the past two years with. This Dean was pointing a shotgun directly at her, threatening to shoot her in the face.

Dean chuckled nervously. "Because you'd only be hurting yourself."

Future Dean glared at him.

Dean sighed. "Look, man—we're not shapeshifters or demons or anything, okay?"

"Yeah, I know." Future Dean set the gun down. "I did the drill on both of you when you were out. Silver, salt, holy water—nothing. But you know what was funny? Was that you had every hidden lockpick, box cutter, and switchblade that I carry. Now, you want to explain that? Oh, and the, uh, resemblance, while you're at it?"

Dean took a deep breath. "Zachariah."

Future Dean's face hardened. He stood up. "Come again?" he challenged.

"We're from 2009," Amy explained. "Zachariah threw Dean five years into the future. I don't know why I'm here, though. He said it wasn't the angels that sent me here."

"Where is he?" Future Dean asked, turning to his past self. "I want to talk to him."

"I don't know."

"Oh, you don't know."

"No, I don't know," Dean insisted. "Look, I just want to get back to my own friggin' year, okay?"

Future Dean nodded. He knelt down in front of his past self. "Okay. If you're me, then tell me something only I would know."

Dean thought for a moment, before smirking. "Rhonda Hurley."

Future Dean tilted his head, urging his past self to continue.

"We were, uh, nineteen," Dean continued. "She made us try on her panties. They were pink. And satiny. And you know what? We kind of liked it."

Amy rolled her eyes.

Future Dean smirked. "Touché." He stood up, moving back over to the table. "So, what, Zach zapped you up here to see how bad it gets?" He jabbed a finger at Amy. "Guessing something else zapped her here for the same reason."

Amy nodded. "Guess so."

"Croatoan virus, right?" Dean asked. "That's their endgame?"

Future Dean nodded. "It's efficient, it's incurable, and it's scary as hell." He started loading a duffle bag with guns. "Turns people into monsters. Started hitting the major cities about two years ago. World really went in the crapper after that."

"What about Sam?"

Future Dean went still. He stared at past Dean for a moment. "Heavyweight showdown in Detroit," he admitted. "From what I understand, Sam didn't make it."

"You weren't with him?"

Future Dean shook his head. "No." He paused for a moment. "No, me and Sam, we haven't talked in—hell, five years."

"Since 2009," Amy realized.

"We never tried to find him?" Dean asked.

"We had other people to worry about." Future Dean picked up his shotgun and picked up the duffle bag.

"Where you going?" Dean asked.

"I got to run an errand."

"You're just gonna leave us here?" Amy asked.

"Yes." Future Dean spun to face her. "I got a camp full of twitchy trauma survivors out there with an apocalypse hanging over their head. The last thing they need to see is a version of _The Parent Trap_ and if anyone sees you..." He scoffed. "So, yeah, you both stay locked down."

"Okay. All right. Fine. But you don't have to cuff me, man." Dean watched his future self walk to the door. "Oh, come on. You don't trust yourself?"

"No. Absolutely not." Future Dean opened the door and walked out, leaving Amy and his past self alone.

"Dick." Dean turned to Amy. "Any luck getting those cuffs undone?"

Amy shook her head as she tried her powers once more. "Nothing. You heard what... you said. These were designed so I couldn't use my powers."

"Wonder why," Dean muttered. "But did you see the way he looked at you? Almost like he'd seen-"

"-a ghost," Amy finished sadly. "I don't wanna imagine what could have happened to future me."

Dean looked around, his eyes landing on a nail just within his reach. "Jackpot," he said. He leaned over as far as the cuffs would let him and started digging the nail from the floorboards.

* * *

About ten minutes later, he managed to pry a long nail from the wood. He studied it for a moment, before using it to unlock the cuff around his wrist. Once he was free, he moved over to Amy and unlocked her cuffs.

"You good?" Dean asked as Amy stood up and massaged her wrist.

Amy nodded. "Yeah, I'm good."

"Let's get out of here."

Dean led her over to the front door of the cabin. The door squeaked as he pushed it open and they stepped outside. Now that it was daytime, they could get a better look at the camp. There were several tents set up nearby. There was a satellite dish next to future Dean's cabin as well as various supplies sitting on tables.

"Hey, Dean. You got a second?"

Amy and Dean spun around to see Chuck walking up to them, holding a clipboard. He didn't seem to or at least pretended not to, notice Amy as he approached Dean.

"No—yes. Uh, I—I guess," Dean stammered. "Hi, Chuck."

"Hi." Chuck looked down at the clipboard. "So, uh, listen, we're pretty good on canned goods for now, but we're down to next to nothing on perishables and—and hygiene supplies. People are not gonna be happy about this. So, what do you think we should do?"

"I—I don't know." Dean turned to Amy, who shrugged. He turned back to Chuck. "Maybe, uh, share? You know, like at a kibbutz."

Chuck looked at Dean with confusion. "Wait a minute, aren't you supposed to be out on a mission right now?"

"Absolutely. And I will be."

Amy stepped forward. "Uh, Chuck?" she asked, finally getting a chance to say something.

Chuck finally turned to her. His confused expression turned to one of complete shock. "Amy?" he whispered. "You-you're-" His gaze suddenly flickered over to something behind them. "Uh-oh."

Amy turned and quickly ducked out of the way as a woman came up behind Dean and threw a punch at him. She backed away as Dean ducked behind Chuck, using him as a shield.

"Whoa! Jeez! Easy, lady!"

"Risa," Chuck offered helpfully.

"Risa?" Dean repeated.

"You spent the night in Jane's cabin last night, didn't you?" Risa demanded.

"Uh, what? I—I don't—did I?"

Chuck nodded.

"I thought we had a 'connection'," Risa said, using air quotes around the word 'connection'.

"Well, I'm sure that we do."

"Yeah?" Risa stormed off past Dean and Chuck.

"Hi, Risa," Chuck said the woman walked by.

"Screw you," Risa snapped.

Amy watched Risa storm off. "What the hell did you do, Dean-o?"

"I don't know," Dean said. "I'm getting busted for stuff I haven't even done yet."

"What?" Chuck asked.

"Uh, never mind. Hey, Chuck, is...Cas still here?"

Chuck smiled. "Yeah. I don't think Cas is going anywhere."

"And, uh, where can I find him?"

Confusion flashed across Chuck's face once more. "In his cabin?" He pointed to a cabin right next to future Dean's.

"Cool, uh, thanks." Dean smiled awkwardly before heading towards the cabin.

Amy watched him walk away, before turning to Chuck. "Can I talk to you?" she asked, slightly angry. "Now?"

Chuck sighed before nodding and leading her into future Dean's cabin.

Amy barely gave the door time to slam behind her before she began yelling. "What the fuck?"

"Amy, look," Chuck began, "I know you're angry, but-"

Amy cut him off. "I don't think that comes close to describing what I'm feeling right now. What the hell is going on? Why am I here? Why did you look like you'd seen a ghost when you saw me?"

"Amy, please calm down," Chuck said softly.

"I will calm down when I get some damn answers, Chuck!" Amy snapped.

As soon as the words left her mouth, something flew across the room from behind Chuck. Chuck quickly held out his hand, catching the knife before it hit him.

Amy stared at the small blade as Chuck set it down on the table. She sat down in the chair, pulling her knees up to her chest as she let out a shaky breath. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

She felt Chuck place a comforting hand on her shoulder. "It's okay," he said, kneeling down next to her. "You're upset and angry. I get that." He sighed. "Look, Zachariah brought Dean here, but I brought you along as well so you could see this."

Amy looked back up. "See what?"

"I can't tell you."

Amy set her feet back on the ground and scoffed. "Wow," she whispered in disbelief.

"If I tell you why now, it won't make any difference," Chuck continued. "But I promise, you'll find out soon enough."

Amy dropped her gaze to the ground and nodded. "Okay," she said.

"Come on." Chuck took her by the arm and helped her to her feet. "Let's get you back out there." He started walking towards the door.

Amy stood there for a moment, before finally deciding to ask a question that had been on her mind for a while. "Hey, Chuck?" she asked.

Chuck stopped in his tracks. "Yeah?" he asked, not turning away from the door.

"Why did you look like you had just seen a ghost when you saw Dean and me outside?" Amy repeated one of her questions from earlier.

Chuck sighed, finally turning to face her. "You, uh, you sure you wanna know?"

"No," Amy answered honestly, "but also yeah."

Chuck stepped closer to her. "You, uh, you died a couple of years ago," he admitted.

Amy felt her heart skip a beat. "What?" Her voice came out practically trembling. "What do you mean I..." she trailed off, unable to finish her own question.

"The demons," Chuck explained, "After Sam said 'yes,' some of them tried to get information out of you."

"What kind of information?"

"The demons wanted information on where the Colt was, so they could destroy it."

"The colt that, one, doesn't work and, two, I have no idea where it is?"

Chuck nodded. "Cas and Dean eventually found you, but by then it was too late."

Amy looked down, unable to figure out the right words to respond with.

"I know that's probably not what you were expecting to hear, but-"

"I'm gonna go find Dean," Amy said quickly, cutting him off. "2009 Dean."

"Amy, hold on," Chuck said, trying to stop her, as she walked past him and opened the cabin door, stepping outside. "Amy!"

Amy ignored him and stepped outside, letting the cabin door close behind her. A truck and jeep were approaching up the dirt road as she walked down the porch steps.

Future Dean and a group of soldiers climbed out of the vehicles. He tossed one of the soldiers a can of beer, taking one for himself. As the soldier opened the beer and walked off, future Dean pulled out a pistol, aiming it at the back of his head.

"Hey. Hey! Watch out!"

Amy looked over to see her Dean running down the steps of Cas's cabin, towards the group. Cas was right behind him as he ran out into the open as his future self shot the soldier in the head. She hurried to catch up to them.

The remaining soldiers stared behind future Dean in shock as his past self and Amy stepped out into the open. Future Dean sighed in frustration, before saying something to himself and turning to the soldiers and pointing at the two of them.

"I'm not gonna lie to you. Me and those two—It's a pretty messed-up situation we got going," he told the soldiers. "But believe me, when you need to know something, you will know it. Until then, we all have work to do." He stormed over to his past self, grabbing him by the wrist. "You, with me, now," he snarled.

Amy began following the two Dean's, before future Dean spun around to face her, holding up a hand. "Not you," he snapped.

Amy frowned as she watched the two Dean's disappear into the cabin.

"Amy?"

Amy turned to see Cas standing behind her. He didn't look like the Cas she knew in 2009, though. This Cas was wearing a loose-fitting grey shirt and a pair of jeans. His hair was messier and he had a bit of facial hair as well. She gave him a small smile. "Hey, Cassie."

"Oh my God," Cas breathed out as he walked up to her and pulled her into a hug. "You're alive. You-" he held her out to arm's length, "you're from 2009 as well."

Amy nodded. "Yeah, I am."

"Did Zachariah zap you here as well?"

"Probably," Amy said with a shrug.

Cas studied her. "You don't know how good it is to see you alive-" He quickly closed his mouth, realizing what he had just said. "Shit, I didn't mean to-"

Amy held up a hand to stop him. "It's okay, Cas. Chuck caught me up on the whole 'future me is dead' ordeal."

Cas nodded as he looked down at her sadly. "Sorry that you had to find out this way."

Amy shrugged. "I'm still alive right now, aren't I?"

Cas placed a hand on her shoulder and gave her a small smile, though it was obvious he was trying not to cry. Amy pulled him into another hug.

* * *

Later that night, Amy, Cas, both Deans, and Risa gathered in another cabin. Future Dean stood at the end of the long table while Cas and Amy sat at the other end. Risa leaned against a pillar, fuming at future Dean while past Dean sat on a small table in the corner behind her.

"So, that's it?" Risa asked, gesturing to a gun which future Dean had laid out in front of him. "That's the Colt?"

Future Dean nodded. "If anything can kill Lucifer, this is it."

"Great. Have we got anything that can _find_ Lucifer?" Risa asked bitterly.

Future Dean looked at her with concern. "Are you okay?"

Dean spoke up from behind Risa. "Oh, we were in, uh, Jane's cabin last night," he interceded. "And, apparently, we and...Risa have a connection."

Cas and Amy snickered as Future Dean glared at his past counterpart.

"You want to shut up?" Future Dean threatened.

Past Dean raised his hands in surrender as his future counterpart continued.

"We don't have to find Lucifer," future Dean explained. "We know where he is. The demon that we caught last week, he was one of the big guy's entourage. He knew."

Risa scoffed. "So, a demon tells you where Satan's gonna be, and you just believe it?"

"Oh, trust me, he wasn't lying." Future Dean picked the Colt back up.

"And you know this how?"

"Our fearless leader, I'm afraid, is all too well-schooled in the art of getting to the truth," Cas explained.

Dean looked between Cas and his future self. "Torture?" he asked. Cas nodded and he stood up. "Oh, so, we're—we're torturing again."

Future Dean glanced up at his past self.

"No, that's—that's good. Classy," Dean said with a wink.

Amy smiled as Cas started chuckling. Future Dean glared at him.

"What? I like past you," Cas defended, putting his feet up on the table.

Amy let out a laugh as she high-fived Cas. He may have been into orgies, but she had to admit that this Cas was more fun than the Cas she knew back in '09.

Future Dean rolled his eyes. He set a map down on the table. "Lucifer is here. Now. I know the block and I know the building." He pointed to a red circle drawn on the map as Risa walked up to observe it.

"Oh, good," Cas said sarcastically, "it's right in the middle of a hot zone."

"Crawling with Croats, yeah. You saying my plan is reckless?" Future Dean looked up at Cas.

"Are you saying we, uh, walk in, straight up the driveway, past all the demons and the Croats, and we shoot the devil?"

"Yes."

Cas nodded. "Okay, if you don't like, uh, 'reckless', I could use 'insouciant', maybe."

"Are you coming?" Future Dean snapped.

Cas sighed. "Of course. But why is he?" he asked, referring to past Dean. I mean, he's you five years ago. If something happens to him, you're gone."

"He's coming," Future Dean said decisively.

Cas looked back at past Dean. "Okay. Well, uh. I'll get the grunts moving." He stood up, leaving the cabin with Risa.

"We're loaded and on the road by midnight," future Dean called after them.

"What about me?" Amy asked when it was only her and both Dean's left in the room.

Future Dean's response came without any hesitation. "You're staying here."

Amy stood up. "The hell I am!"

"I'm not risking you going, Amy," future Dean snapped.

"I'm not a kid, Dean!" Amy half-shouted. "I can take care-"

"-of myself," future Dean finished for her. He nodded. "Yeah, that's what you said..." he trailed off.

Amy crossed her arms. "'What I said' when...Dean?" she asked quietly.

Future Dean turned to her, looking her directly in the eyes. "That's what you said the last time I saw you."

Amy couldn't think of anything to say. She already knew future her was dead so this wasn't a big revelation for her.

It was Dean that stepped forward and asked the question she probably would have asked. "What do you mean 'the last time you saw her'?"

Future Dean sighed. "A couple years ago, I got injured. Couldn't go anywhere for a while so Amy offered to take a team out to search for the Colt."

"By herself?" Dean asked, looking at Amy.

Future Dean nodded. "I didn't want to let her go by herself. We got into a bit of an argument and she argued that she had her powers to protect her and that she knew how to take care of herself in a fight amongst demons or Croats. She ended up storming out of the camp by herself." He sighed. "And I didn't try to stop her."

"What happened after that?" Amy asked.

"When night fell and we hadn't heard from you, I began to get worried," future Dean explained. "Cas and I, we searched for you for days but..." he cleared his throat. "The demons had gotten to you, wanting information on the location of the Colt. But you wouldn't give it to them."

"That's because I don't know where it is," Amy said. "I highly doubt future me knew where it was either."

Future Dean chuckled. "Yeah, well, that wasn't good enough for the demons. By the time Cas and I found you...it was too late." He shook his head sadly as he looked down at the table. "I never should have let you leave. I should have stopped you, had a team go with you, anything. Instead, I just let you walk away."

Amy looked up at future Dean decisively. "I'm going with you," she said clearly. "You said future me was killed because I was alone. This time I've got both of you and almost everyone else here at this camp to make sure that doesn't happen."

Amy still didn't know how to respond. Hearing your future self was dead wasn't any easier the second time around.

Future Dean noticed her expression. "You already knew this you was dead, didn't you?"

Amy nodded. She pointed towards her Dean. "Chuck caught me up when this Dean went to find Cas. He told me I had been taken by demons and that you and Cas had tried to find me, but that's about it."

Dean hesitated slightly before speaking. "I get why you're so hesitant to take her, but why are you taking me?"

Future Dean started packing a duffle bag. "Relax. You'll be fine. Zach's looking after you, right?"

Dean shook his head. "No, that's not what I mean. I want to know what's going on."

Future Dean nodded. "Yeah, okay. You're coming because I want you to see something. I want you to see our brother."

Dean stared at his future counterpart in shock. "Sam? I thought he was dead."

"Sam didn't die in Detroit," future Dean snapped.

"He said 'yes'," Amy finished quietly.

Future Dean nodded in confirmation as his past self looked between him and Amy.

"'Yes'?" There was a long silence as Dean processed the information. "Wait. You mean—"

"That's right," future Dean confirmed. "The big 'yes'. To the devil. Lucifer's wearing him to the prom."

Amy sighed sadly as Dean let out a shaky breath.

"Why would he do that?"

Future Dean shrugged. "Wish I knew. But now we don't have a choice. It's in him, and it's not getting out." He held up a pistol. "And we've got to kill him, Dean. And you need to see it—the whole damn thing, how bad it gets—so you can do it different."

"What do you mean?"

"Zach said he was gonna bring you back, right?" Future Dean asked. "To '09?"

"Yeah."

"Well, when you get back home—you say 'yes'. You hear me? Say 'yes' to Michael. And you," future Dean directed to Amy, "make sure he actually says it."

"What?" Amy asked.

Dean scoffed. "That's crazy. If I let him in, then Michael fights the devil. The battle's gonna torch half the planet."

"Look around you, man," future Dean snapped. "Half the planet's better than no planet, which is what we have now. If I could do it over again, I'd say 'yes' in a heartbeat."

"So why don't you?"

"I've tried!" future Dean shouted. "I've shouted 'yes' till I was blue in the face! The angels aren't listening! They just—left—gave up! It's too late for me, but for you—"

Dean shook his head. "Oh, no. There's got to be another way."

"Yeah, that's what I thought," future Dean said, a bit softer. "I was cocky. Never actually thought I'd lose. But I was wrong. Dean. I was wrong. I'm begging you. Say yes." He paused, looking at his past self's expressions. "But you won't. Neither of you will. 'Cause I didn't. And Amy didn't. Because that's just not either of us, is it?"

Amy looked down sadly as both Deans stared at each other for a moment. There was a sudden knock on the door before it swung open to reveal Chuck.

"Did you need something, Chuck?" future Dean asked.

Chuck's gaze flickered between the two Deans, still feigning surprise at seeing two of them. "I, uh, I just wanted to know if I could borrow Amy for a moment. I wanted to talk to her about something."

Amy sighed and nodded. "Sure," she said simply. She walked past the two Deans and followed Chuck outside. "What's up?"

"Hold on, not here," he said, "follow me."

Amy followed Chuck away from the cabin until they were no longer in view of the others. "What's up, Chucky?" she repeated.

Chuck stepped closer to her, reaching two fingers towards her forehead. "I should have done this a long time ago," he said.

Amy leaned back and grabbed his wrist. "Whoa, hold up," she said, "what are you doing?"

Chuck sighed. "I don't know why I didn't do this when I first met you back in 2009. How much of the show do you still remember?"

"Um..." Amy let go of Chuck's wrist and crossed her arms. "I don't remember as much as I did when I first met Sam and Dean, obviously, but major things I can still remember pretty clearly."

"Such as?"

Amy chuckled. "I mean, how far into the show are we talking? 'Cause there were at least eleven seasons that I watched."

"Just this one."

"Okay, uh..." Amy thought for a moment, trying to remember everything she could. "I mean, I know that in the finale episode, Swan Song, Sam says 'yes' to Lucifer but ends up taking back control and jumping into the pit. I also know that the Colt doesn't work on Lucifer when they try to use it on him before that and that Jo and Ellen die during that ordeal, but I don't know exactly when that happens."

Amy leaned back, trying to remember anything else. "Sam and Dean find out who Gabe really is this season, uh, most of the fandom found out who you really were this season."

"Okay, okay," Chuck said, stopping her. "My point is, you have a lot of future knowledge of this world, right?"

Amy nodded.

"So here's what I'm gonna do," Chuck explained. "I'm gonna put a sort of barrier, kind of like a wall, around those memories." At Amy's confused expression, he explained. "You'll still have those memories and knowledge from the show. But this way if a demon or angel tries to get any info from you, they won't be able to just read your mind and get it."

Amy nodded. "But I'll still remember everything myself."

"Exactly." Chuck reached his hand towards her again. "Ready?"

Amy shrugged. "Sure."

Chuck placed two fingers on her forehead and Amy instantly felt a searing pain shoot through her head. She instantly took a step back, holding her head. "Ow!" she snapped, glaring at Chuck. "A little warning would have been great."

"Sorry." Chuck waved a hand and the pain instantly subsided. "Better?"

Amy nodded. "Yeah, much better."

"Just remember, the angels and demons can still read your mind, but anything you know of from the show, they won't be able to get to," Chuck explained.

Amy nodded again. "Okay."

"Everyone load up!" Future Dean called out to everyone. "We're leaving in ten."

"Come on," Chuck said, "let's get back to the others."

Amy and Chuck walked over to where future Dean and the other soldiers were loading up the jeep and cars with past Dean watching them.

"Hey," Amy said as she caught up with the Dean she knew. "Who we going with?"

Dean pointed to one of the cars. "Cas."

Chuck slouched forward slightly, putting on an amazed look as he stood between Amy and Dean while they walked. "So, you guys are really from '09?"

"Yup," Amy said with a nod.

"Afraid so."

"Some free advice?" Chuck offered. "You guys ever get back there, you hoard toilet paper. You understand me? Hoard it. Hoard it like it's made of gold. 'Cause it is."

Amy stifled a laugh as Dean pat Chuck on the shoulder. "Thank you, Chuck," he muttered before walking towards Cas's car.

"Oh, you'll thank me, all right," Chuck called after him. "Mark my words."

Amy walked towards Cas's car, putting her hand on the door handle. "See you around, Chucky." She opened the back door and slid in. Cas started the engine and they started driving off.

* * *

"Let me see those."

They had been driving for an hour when Cas had taken out a pill bottle and taken a few pills.

"You want some?" Cas asked, holding the pill bottle out for Dean.

Dean took the bottle, reading the label. "Amphetamines?"

"It's the perfect antidote to that absinthe."

Amy leaned forward over the seat. "Cas what the hell happened to you?" she asked. "I mean, the last time I talked to you before all this, you were gonna stand on the side of the road for four hours straight."

Cas started laughing and Dean looked at him with slight concern.

"Oh and we're laughing now," Amy added. "Now there's something I've never heard '09 you do."

Cas continued laughing.

"What's so funny?" Dean asked.

"Dean, Amy, I'm not an angel anymore."

Dean and Amy's reply came at the same time. "What?"

Cas nodded. "Yeah, I went mortal."

"What do you mean? How?" Dean asked.

"I think it had something to do with the other angels leaving," Cas explained. "But when they bailed, my mojo just kind of— psshhew!—drained away." He raised a hand to chest level, lowering it in a slope-like fashion as he made the noise. "And now, you know, I'm practically human. I mean, I'm all but useless. Last year, broke my foot, laid up for two months."

"Wow," Dean said.

"Yeah."

"So, you're human." Cas nodded and Dean turned to his window. "Well, welcome to the club."

"Thanks," Cas said. There was a small pause. "Except I used to belong to a much better club. And now I'm powerless. I'm hapless, I'm hopeless. I mean, why the hell not bury myself in women and decadence, right? It's the end, baby. That's what decadence is for. Why not bang a few gongs before the lights go out? But then that's, that's just how I roll."

Amy studied Cas for a moment as he continued driving, before leaning back into her seat. She slid over behind Dean and leaned against the window.

* * *

**August 7th, 2009**

They reached the hot zone early the next morning. Dean and Amy walked behind everyone as future Dean, Cas, Risa, and a couple of soldiers walked ahead of them with guns, scanning the area.

They walked through a street littered with broken cars and trash until finally coming up on a brick building with a fence surrounding it. Future Dean, Cas, Risa, and the soldiers crouched behind one car, while Dean and Amy crouched behind the other, watching them.

Future Dean took a pair of binoculars from one of the bags, looking through them at the building. "There," he said after a moment, turning back to the group. "Second-floor window. We go in there." He handed the binoculars to Cas.

"You sure about this?" Risa asked nervously.

"They'll never see us coming," future Dean told her. "Trust me. Now, weapons check. We're on the move in five."

Amy frowned. Something was wrong about this plan.

Dean seemed to notice it as well. "Hey, uh, me," he said awkwardly. "Can I talk to you for a sec?"

Amy watched as future Dean walked away from the others. They started arguing over something she couldn't hear. All of a sudden, she saw future Dean punch his past self in the face, knocking him out.

"Hey, what the hell?" Amy asked as she stood up and hurried over. She barely had time to get over to them before future Dean swung a fist at her as well, and her vision went black.

* * *

Amy didn't know how long she had been out, only that she woke to the sound of gunshots. Thunder crashed around them as lightning flashed in the sky.

Dean woke up next to her. "You okay?" he asked.

Amy gingerly touched her nose, where future Dean had hit her. "Yeah. Man, you punch hard."

"Come on." Dean helped her to her feet.

They hurried towards the building, where shots were still being fired. Looking up towards the second floor, they could see flashes of light through the windows as the other group members shot at the Croatoans and demons.

Dean and Amy ran down a pathway, towards the back of the building. They ran into a garden, stopping in their tracks at what they saw.

Future Dean was on the ground with a white shoe over his neck. He opened his eyes and looked directly at the two hunters, just before the shoe pressed down. There was a loud crack as future Dean's neck broke and his eyes closed.

Amy followed the all-white suit up to see Sam standing over future Dean. Only it wasn't Sam. Lucifer slowly turned to face Dean and Amy.

"Oh. Hello, Dean," he greeted. He gave Amy a small nod. "Amelia." There was a brief pause as Amy and Dean stared in shock. "Aren't you two a surprise."

"Sam," Amy whispered.

There was a flash of lightning and Lucifer disappeared, reappearing suddenly behind Dean and Amy. "You've come a long way to see this, haven't you?" he asked.

Amy quickly turned around with Dean, stumbling backward.

"Well, go ahead. Kill us," Dean challenged.

"Kill you?" Lucifer scoffed as he looked down at future Dean's corpse. "Don't you think that would be a little...redundant?" He sighed. "I'm sorry. It must be painful, speaking to me in this—shape. But it had to be your brother. It had to be." He reached for Dean's shoulder, but Dean recoiled back.

Lucifer turned to Amy next, reaching out to touch her. Dean stepped between them. "Get away from her," he threatened with a deadly look in his eyes.

"You don't have to be afraid of me, Dean," Lucifer assured him. "What do you think I'm going to do?"

"I don't know. Maybe deep-fry the planet?" Dean suggested.

Amy backed away as Lucifer stepped past them and began examining a rose.

"Why?" Lucifer asked, turning back to them. "Why would I want to destroy this stunning thing? Beautiful in a trillion different ways. The last perfect handiwork of God."

Dean and Amy stayed silent, glaring at the man who looked like Sam.

"You ever hear the story of how I fell from grace?" Lucifer continued.

"No, and frankly I could care less," Amy spoke up.

"You're not gonna tell us a bedtime story, are you?" Dean asked. "My stomach's almost out of bile."

"You know why God cast me down? Because I loved him. More than anything. And then God created-" Lucifer smirked as he looked Dean and Amy up and down "-you. The little...hairless apes. And then he asked all of us to bow down before you—to love you, more than him. And I said, "Father, I can't." I said, "These human beings are flawed, murderous." And for that, God had Michael cast me into hell. Now, tell me, does the punishment fit the crime? Especially, when I was right? Look at what six billion of you have done to this thing, and how many of you blame me for it."

Amy rolled her eyes as Dean let out a forced laugh.

"You're not fooling me, you know that?" Dean asked. "With this sympathy-for-the-devil crap. I know what you are."

Lucifer tilted his head. "What am I?"

"You're the same thing, only bigger," Dean replied through his teeth. "The same brand of cockroach I've been squashing my whole life. An ugly, evil, belly-to-the-ground, supernatural piece of crap. The only difference between them and you is the size of your ego."

Lucifer smiled. "I like you, Dean. I get what the other angels see in you." he nodded his head. "Goodbye. We'll meet again soon." He turned and started walking away.

"Why don't you just kill us now?" Amy yelled after him. "I mean, you've already killed me once."

Lucifer turned to face them. "Pardon?"

"Kill us now," Dean snarled. "Or I swear, we will find a way to kill you. And we won't stop."

"I know you won't." Lucifer walked closer. "I know you won't say yes to Michael, either." He glanced down at Amy. "Just like I know you won't try to influence him to say yes."

"And I know you won't kill Sam," Lucifer directed back at Dean. "Whatever you do, you will always end up here. Whatever choices you make, whatever details you alter, we will always end up—here." He looked between the two hunters. "I win. So, I win."

"You're wrong," Amy stated, her voice trembling.

"See you in five years."

There was another crash of thunder and lightning and Lucifer disappeared. Amy felt something behind her and spun around to see Zachariah. The angel reached two fingers to her forehead and she felt the all-too-familiar feeling of being zapped to a different location

* * *

**June 10th, 2009 - Kansas City, Missouri**

Amy suddenly found herself back in the motel room. Everything was back in place, exactly as Dean and Amy had entered it five years ago. Dean was leaning against the kitchenette sink, next to Amy, as Zachariah stood in front of them.

"Oh, well, if it isn't the ghost of Christmas screw you," Dean commented, glaring at the angel.

"Enough. Dean, enough." Zachariah turned to Amy. "You saw it, right? You saw what happens." He turned back to Dean. "You're the only person who can prove the devil wrong. Just say yes."

"How do I know that this whole thing isn't one of your tricks?" Dean asked as Amy crossed her arms. "Huh? Some angel hocus-pocus?"

"The time for tricks is over," Zachariah said. "Give yourself to Michael. Say yes and we can strike. Before Lucifer gets to Sam. Before billions die."

Dean seemed to consider this as he turned to Amy for help. She shook her head and he smirked, turning back to Zachariah. "Nah."

Zachariah looked shocked. "'Nah'?" he repeated. "You telling me you haven't learned your lesson?"

"Oh, I've learned a lesson, all right," Dean said, stepping forward. "Just not the one you wanted to teach."

"Well, I'll just have to teach it again!" Zachariah growled. He took a menacing step forward. "Because I got you now, boy, and I'm never letting you—"

The room suddenly vanished around her and Amy found herself standing in front of a diner with Dean and Cas. She smiled in relief, pulling the angel into a hug. The angel stood there awkwardly, not hugging her back.

"That's pretty nice timing, Cas," Dean said as Amy took a step back.

"We had an appointment."

Amy smiled as Dean put a hand on Cas's shoulder. "Don't ever change," he said.

"Yeah, seriously," Amy added. "Just...keep being you."

"How did Zachariah find you two?" Cas asked.

"Long story. Let's just stay away from Jehovah's Witnesses from now on, okay?" Dean turned away and pulled out his phone.

Cas tilted his head. "What are you doing?"

"Something I should have done in the first place." Dean walked away as he dialed a number and put the phone to his ear. "Sam?" he asked. "It's Dean. We need to talk." Dean's voice faded away as he walked too far away for Amy to hear.

* * *

A few minutes later, Dean walked back over. "I just talked to Sam," he told them. "Cas, can you get us back to the Impala."

Cas nodded and a moment later, Amy found herself standing next to the Impala with Dean. Cas was nowhere in sight.

Dean handed Amy the motel room key. "Run up and grab our bags from the motel room real quick."

Amy took the room key. "What'd Sam say?"

"We're gonna meet up with him in Sioux Falls," Dean explained. "Now hurry up and grab our stuff so we can get out of here."

Amy hurried back into the motel. She ran down the hall and used the key to open the door to their motel room. Their bags were still in the spots where they had dropped them earlier that night. She picked them up, and headed out of the room, leaving the key on the counter and the door open.

Amy headed back outside, where Dean was waiting for her with the backseat open. She tossed the bags into the back and climbed into the passenger seat while Dean got behind the wheel. He started the engine and they sped off.

* * *

**Fairfax, Missouri**

They had been driving for an hour before anyone spoke.

"Hey," Dean said, drawing Amy's attention away from her window. "You know I'd never let Lucifer or any of his demons hurt you, right?"

Amy turned her head to face the other hunter. "I know," she said quietly.

"Well, then what's got you so down?"

Amy sighed. "When we got sent to the future, I guess I was kinda excited to find out what I would be like in five years. Instead, I find out that in less than that, I'm dead. Killed by demons all because they wanted to know where the Colt was."

"Even though you don't know where it is?"

Amy shook her head. "I do know one thing, though."

"What's that?"

"It doesn't work on Lucifer."

Dean frowned. "But the Colt can kill anything."

"Almost anything," Amy corrected. "There are a few things it can't kill. Lucifer is one."

Dean sighed in frustration and hit the steering wheel. "Well, that's one plan down the drain. So if the Colt doesn't work, then what does?"

"Well, Lucifer is an archangel," Amy said. "And the only thing I know of that kills archangels is an archangel blade."

"Like an angel blade?" Dean asked.

Amy shook her head. "Archangel blades are different. They're the only things that can kill an archangel. Normal angel blades won't do that."

Dean nodded but didn't say anything.

"Maybe we can't use it to kill Lucifer, but it can still kill a lot of other things," Amy pointed out. "It could still be useful if we ever found it."

"Good," Dean said, turning to face her. "'Cause I'm not gonna stop until I find that thing." He turned back to the road, a stern expression on his face.

Amy watched Dean stare at the road for a moment, before turning back towards her window.

* * *

**Sioux Falls, South Dakota**

A few hours later, they reached a bridge. Dean pulled up to the side of a dirt road and turned off the engine. The two hunters got out and leaned against the passenger side.

A few minutes later, a Lincoln Continental drove up, stopping near them. The driver's side door opened and Sam stepped out. Dean and Amy walked up to him, stopping between the two cars.

"Sam," Dean greeted.

"Hey Sam," Amy said.

Sam didn't say anything. There was a brief pause as Dean pulled Ruby's knife from his pocket. Sam looked at it nervously as Dean held it out to him by the blade.

"If you're serious and you want back in... you should hang on to this. I'm sure you're rusty."

Sam carefully took the knife, avoiding his brother's eyes.

"Look, man, I'm sorry," Dean began. Sam glanced up at him. "I don't know. I'm...whatever I need to be. But I was, uh—wrong."

"What made you change your mind?" Sam asked.

Dean chuckled. "Long story. The point is...maybe we are each other's Achilles heel. Maybe they'll find a way to use us against each other, I don't know." He paused for a moment before continuing. "I just know we're all we've got. More than that. We keep each other human."

"Thank you," Sam said after a moment. "Really. Thank you. I won't let you down."

"Oh, I know it. I mean, you are the second-best hunter on the planet."

Amy let out a quiet chuckle as Sam smiled slightly. "So, what do we do now?" Sam asked.

"We make our own future," Dean said. He looked down at Amy. "All three of us."

"Guess we have no choice."

"We always have a choice," Amy corrected. "I'm choosing to make my future better."

Sam gave her a small smile.

Dean pointed to the car Sam had driven up in. "Where'd you get that?"

"Stole it in Garber, Oklahoma," Sam admitted.

Amy smiled as Dean laughed and pat his brother on the shoulder.

"Come on," Dean said, "let's get out of here."

The three hunters made their way back to the Impala. Amy climbed back into the backseat as Sam and Dean got into the front once more. Dean started the engine and drove them down the dirt road to who knew where.

* * *

**Next chapter's gonna be another original.**


	36. Guardian Angels

**June 10th, 2009 - Sioux Falls, South Dakota**

Amy sat in the backseat, leaning against the door as she played one of the few games on her phone as Dean drove the Impala down the road.

The younger Winchester sat in the passenger seat, twisting Ruby's knife around in his fingers. Dean and Amy had been catching him up on everything since they had reunited with him almost two hours ago.

Amy hadn't hesitated in telling him all about coming to Dean's rescue when an imp had turned him invisible. Dean had insisted that he would have been able to figure it out on his own if she hadn't been there, but she had reminded him that it was only due to her powers that she was able to hear him in the first place and that he was unable to do anything other than think what he wanted to say to her.

"Wow," Sam said after they had finished. "I guess I missed a lot while I was gone."

"That you did, Sammy." Dean turned to his brother. "What about you? I mean, what did you get up to?"

Sam opened his mouth to speak, but Dean cut him off. "You know what? Why don't we go find a small case and catch up for a bit?"

There was a moment of silence before Sam nodded. Amy leaned forward against the back of the front seat. "Yeah, that'd be nice," she said.

Dean looked back at the young girl. "Actually, Ames, I was, uh, I was kinda thinking maybe it could just be me and Sam for a bit."

Amy felt...she didn't really know how she felt. It was the same feeling she had gotten so many times at the orphanage. Watching family after family come and go. Watching them leave, with her feeling more and more unwanted as each year passed. She had figured they would want to spend some time by themselves to catch up again, though, so why did she feel so bad?

Quickly shaking away the feeling, she gave Dean a small, half-forced smile. "Yeah, sure. No problem."

* * *

It was a short drive the rest of the way to Bobby's house.

Amy climbed out of the backseat without a word, pulling her duffle bag with her. She closed the door and watched Dean drive off, before turning to the house.

The door was unlocked when she tried the doorknob, so she pushed it open and stepped inside.

"Bobby?" Amy called out as she walked down the hallway towards the study.

The sound of squeaking wheels grew closer until Bobby rolled his wheelchair around the corner. "Amy?" he asked. "What are you doing here?"

Amy dropped her bag on the ground against the wall. "Dean dropped me off. Sam came back and they wanted to go off by themselves for a bit to catch up."

Bobby grunted in response. "Sorry, kid."

Amy shrugged. "No big deal."

Bobby turned his wheelchair around and rolled into the study with Amy following. There were stacks of papers and books on the desk and floor.

"Whatcha working on?" Amy asked as she looked around the room.

"Been trying to find anything I can on the Colt's location."

Amy picked up a random book and began flipping through the pages. "I'm guessing you haven't had much luck?"

"No," Bobby said. "Though, now that you're here, maybe you could help me search through all this. Help me narrow some places down."

"What have you got so far?"

Bobby shrugged. "Zip, nada, zilch."

Amy sighed. "Well, it's not like I got anything else going on, I guess." She grabbed a paper from the desk and sat down. "Well, I know Bela sold it-" Amy scoffed "-or at least she said she did."

"Don't suppose you know who to?"

Amy shook her head. "Negative," she said.

* * *

**June 11th, 2009**

"Hey, Amy! Come down here a sec!"

Amy was lying on her back with her head hanging over the edge of her bed. Bobby's voice sounded from downstairs early that afternoon.

She turned her head to look at the door but didn't move from her spot. She didn't want to move. She just wanted to lie there and ignore the world around her.

"Amy, I know you can hear me," Bobby called up the stairs once more. "Come on down, I got something for you."

Amy sighed as she flipped her feet over her head and landed on the floor. She straightened back up and headed out of her room.

Bobby was at the bottom of the stairs, holding a newspaper.

"What's up, Bobby?" Amy asked.

"A case, that's what." Bobby handed her the paper. "Woman was in her home, a few days after moving in. No fingerprints, no sign of forced entry."

Amy took the paper. "Sounds like a ghost." She glanced down at the article Bobby had been talking about, scanning over the words.

Bobby nodded in agreement. "Normally with something this easy, and with everything we've got going on right now, I'd sent one of my old hunter buddies in the area to check it out."

Amy glanced back over at the old hunter. "But?" she asked, pressing for more info.

"They're busy," Bobby stated blandly. "All of 'em."

Amy handed the newspaper back. "So, you want me to go check it out?"

Bobby nodded. "Yeah, if you don't mind. It's in Mandan, North Dakota."

Amy nodded, a little uneasily.

Bobby noticed. "Dean called me, by the way," he began, "when you were sleeping. Told me about the whole 'getting sent to the future' thing that happened. If you don't wanna take this case by yourself, I could try to get a hold of Rufus, see if he could tag along with you."

Amy shook her head, decisively. "I don't mind going by myself. Besides, it's just a ghost, right? Shouldn't be too bad."

Bobby grunted in response.

"Any witnesses?"

Bobby tossed the paper down on a nearby chair. "No witnesses, but her son, James Abel, was the one that found her when he came by to help her get unpacked."

Amy nodded. "Alright, well, I'm gonna go pack, I guess."

Bobby nodded. "You do that."

Amy hurried up to her room and tossed her duffle bag onto her bed. She was going on her first hunt, alone. Was she supposed to be excited or scared? Both? What if she messed something up? What if she got herself killed? What if-?

She quickly stopped herself, shaking away the thought. She could do this, she knew she could. She'd been hunting for, what? A year now? Was that enough experience to do this alone?

Grabbing clothes to last her a week, she quickly stuffed them into her bag, along with anything else she would need, and zipped the bag closed. Putting the strap over her shoulder, she headed back downstairs and headed into the study, where Bobby was flipping through one of the many books.

"I'm taking off," Amy told the old hunter.

"Alright," Bobby said, closing the book. "Call me when you get checked into a motel."

Amy nodded to tell Bobby she understood.

"And keep in touch until you get this thing taken care of," Bobby continued. "I know you've been hunting with Sam and Dean for a while now, but this is your very first case by yourself."

"I got it, Bobby," Amy said. "Don't worry, I'll call as often as I can."

"Good. You better get going if you wanna get there before dark."

"Right." Amy shifted the bag on her shoulder. "I'll call you as soon as I get there."

Bobby grunted in response.

Amy walked out of the study and grabbed her keys off the table in the hallway. She opened the front door and headed outside, where her green '04 Camry that Bobby had given to her not long after she had moved in with him was sitting.

Opening the backseat door, she double-checked to make sure she had her weapons, fake IDs, badges, laptop, and anything else she would need, before setting her bag on the seat and closing the door. Climbing into the driver's seat, Amy started the engine and drove away from Bobby's house.

* * *

**Oakes, North Dakota**

After almost four hours of driving, Amy pulled up to a diner, feeling a bit hungry. She headed inside, sitting down at a small table. A waitress with a name tag that read 'Susan' on it came over to her, sporting a huge grin.

"Welcome to the Sunset Diner!" the waitress said with an over-the-top cheery voice. "Can I get you started on anything to drink today?"

"Can I get a coke?" Amy asked. "And I think I'm actually ready to order as well."

"Wonderful," Susan said, "what can I get started for you?"

"Can I get a cheeseburger, no onions?"

"Absolutely." Susan wrote the order down on her notepad before smiling back at Amy. "I'll have those out for you in a jiff!"

Amy nodded. The waitress turned and headed towards the kitchen, sticking the order sheet in the window behind the counter.

* * *

Amy ate her food in silence. It felt a little weird not having Sam or Dean to joke around with at the table.

She looked around the diner. There was a man nearby, looking in her direction. She quickly looked away. Was he looking at her or at something behind her? Maybe he was wondering what she was doing here by herself. Wondering what someone so young was doing alone. Okay, Amy was technically an adult, but she did look young for her age. Often getting mistaken for being several years younger than she was.

Looking back up, Amy noticed that the man was still looking over at her. He was starting to creep her out a little. She rubbed the heel of her shoe with the other one, wanting to leave as quickly as possible. Quickly tossing down ten bucks, she stood up, clutching her phone and wallet as tightly as she could, and left.

Amy walked out of the diner and headed back to her car, climbing in and locking the door behind her. She looked in her rear-view mirror. The man was standing right outside the diner, scanning the parking lot. What the hell was this guy's problem?

' _Go away_ ,' Amy pleaded in her mind. ' _Please just go away_.'

The man suddenly turned his head and looked directly at her car. Amy jumped as the radio in her car suddenly turned on, blaring loud music over the speakers. She hit the power button, turned the volume dial, and tried anything else she could think of, but the music kept playing.

"What the hell?" Amy wondered aloud. She looked back in the mirror. The man was still there, now laughing wildly.

The music in her car suddenly stopped and the man vanished before her eyes. Amy suddenly heard laughing in the seat next to her. She jumped back at the sudden passenger, looking at him with wide, confused eyes that quickly turned to a mix of relief and anger as the man morphed into a familiar brown-hair and hazel-eyed archangel.

Amy wasted no time punching him in the shoulder. "What the hell is wrong with you?" she asked. Her heart was still racing and she took a few breaths to calm down.

Gabriel continued laughing, eventually calming down as well. "Sorry, kiddo," he said, grinning slightly. "I didn't mean to scare you so bad. I was in the area and saw you drive into town by yourself so I may have decided to have a little fun."

Amy shook her head in disbelief. "I hate you so much right now," she said jokingly.

"Can't take the trick out of the Trickster," Gabe said pointedly.

Amy gave the archangel a small smile.

"So what are you doing in North Dakota?" Gabe asked. "More importantly, what are you doing in North Dakota alone?"

"Bobby sent me out here on a case," Amy explained.

"Oh," Gabe said in an amused tone, "going on hunts by yourself now, huh?"

Amy nodded. "Apparently. Sam and Dean wanted to go on a hunt by themselves so they dropped me off at Bobby's. Bobby found a case in Mandan and the other hunters he called were busy, so..." she trailed off, finishing with a shrug.

"Mind if I tag along?"

Amy looked over at the archangel. "Huh?"

"Do you mind if I tag along," Gabe repeated.

"Oh, uh," Amy thought for a moment, "no, I don't mind." She finally started up the engine of her car and pulled out of the parking lot.

"So, what's happened since I last saw you?"

Amy raised an eyebrow. "Since you last saw me five days ago?"

"Oh come on, you live with Sam and Dean Winchester," Gabe protested. "You hunt monsters for a living and you're telling me that in those few days, nothing's happened?"

Amy let out a laugh. "No, you're right. Something did happen. Pretty recently, actually."

Gabe kicked his feet up onto the dashboard, a sucker appearing in his hand. "Do tell?"

Amy smiled in amusement, before frowning again as she remembered the recent events. "Zachariah got ahold of us," she said, "again."

Gabe sighed. "Oh great," he muttered. "What did he do this time?"

"Sent Dean and me five years into the future."

Gabe lowered his feet back to the floor. "Why would he do that?"

Amy sighed. "Basically to try and get Dean to say 'yes' to Michael."

"I'm guessing that didn't go very well."

"Nope," Amy said, popping the 'p' at the end.

"Hmm." Gabe twirled the candy around in his fingers. "So what were you like in the future Zach sent you to?"

Amy's grip loosened on the steering wheel as she looked sadly at the road ahead of her. "Dead," she whispered. "I was dead."

"Crap," Gabe said, his voice coming out apologetic. "How did, um, how did it happen?"

Amy sighed. "Future Dean was injured and couldn't go anywhere for a while and after an argument, future me left for a bit," Amy explained. "Long story short, she got kidnapped by demons and was apparently tortured for a while. They wanted info on where the Colt was." She shook her head, almost unable to finish explaining. "By the time Dean and Cas found me, it was too late."

Gabe frowned. "Wait, so, in the future, you were killed after going out by yourself, and right after learning that, I mean, I'm assuming he knew that, Dean let you go on a hunt by yourself?"

Amy fiddled with her anti-possession necklace. "Dean, uh, kinda doesn't know I'm doing this," she admitted.

"You mean you didn't tell him?" Gabe asked.

Amy looked over nervously. "Not really. I already told you Sam and Dean went hunting on their own and it was just me and Bobby at Bobby's place in Sioux Falls, so when Bobby found the case I kinda just...decided to go?"

Gabe shook his head. "Yeah, I'm definitely staying with you," he said decisively.

"For how long?"

"Until you finish up this hunt. Do you think I'm letting anything happen to you? Especially after you might have just saved my life?"

At that last sentence, Amy quickly looked over at the archangel next to her. "Wait, what?"

"I shouldn't have run out on you like that the last time I saw you," Gabe admitted. "If I had been in your shoes, I probably would have tried to warn me about my upcoming demise as well."

"Yeah," Amy muttered.

"But trust me, Amy," Gabe continued. "I'm not gonna go down that easily. There are clones of me all over the place. Plus, it wouldn't be the first time I've had to fake my own death."

Amy flashed the archangel a small smile. "I just don't wanna lose you," she admitted. "You were one of my first friends here in this world."

"Which is odd, considering the first time we met was when you led Sam and Dean straight to me at that Mystery Spot."

Amy smiled fondly. "The first thing I said to you while Sam had a stake to your throat was 'Hiya, Gabe'."

Gabe started laughing. "To think, I've gone from not trusting you, to hanging out with you when Sam and Dean aren't around."

"Well, I mean, you did help me out a lot," Amy reminded him.

Gabe nodded. "True." He put on a thoughtful look. "Let's see, since we first met, you learned your birth name, got your powers back, learned that you were really born in this world, and traveled back in time and met your birth parents. And the kickoff for all of that was the two of us meeting in Florida after I killed Dean a bunch of times."

Amy chuckled. "As crazy as all of that sounds out loud, I'm really glad we're friends."

"So am I, kiddo."

* * *

**Mandan, North Dakota**

The next couple of hours went by quickly. Gabriel sat in the passenger seat the entire drive and the two of them spent the entire drive talking and joking around. Before long, Amy was pulling into the parking lot of a motel.

"Still wanna stay?" Amy asked.

"Amy, you're practically like a little sister to me. I don't think I could live with myself if I left you here alone and something bad happened." He turned towards the rear window, looking out at the motel behind them. "So, uh, how does all this work anyway?"

Amy opened her wallet, digging through it for her credit card. "Sam or Dean usually check us into a motel room for a few days. Then we usually just pretend to be FBI, police, or whoever we could pose as that would be believable, interview witnesses, find out what we're dealing with, and then kill or re-kill whatever we're dealing with," she explained.

"That's it?"

"Pretty much," Amy confirmed. "Honestly, most of it is pretty uneventful until the actual fighting comes along."

"Oh yeah," Gabe said thoughtfully. "When Sam and Dean first met me a few years ago, they posed as electricians."

"Right." Amy pulled out her credit card. "I'm gonna go get a room."

Gabriel held out a hand to stop her from leaving the car. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold on."

Amy turned to him, confused. "What?"

"You're with me, remember? Gabriel. Archangel. Trickster." The last word was said with a playful tone. Gabe opened his door. "Come on. Put that card away. Grab your stuff and follow me."

Amy put her card back into her wallet and closed it up. She grabbed her phone and climbed out of the driver's seat, grabbing her bag from the back as she did.

Gabe led her across the parking lot, and up to the second floor of the motel. He stopped in front of room 215 and snapped his fingers. The door rippled for a moment, before changing into a slightly fancier version of itself.

"One of the perks of knowing someone like me," he said, placing his hand on the doorknob, "is that staying in places like this motel doesn't have to be so dull."

Gabe pushed the door open revealing a large motel room, unlike anything Amy had ever seen. It had two king-sized beds across from a flat-screen that was mounted on the wall. A rectangular, glass table sat against one of the walls, which spread out noticeably further than what would have seemed possible.

"What the-?" Amy asked in wonderment as she stepped inside the room, walking along the white, tiled floor. "I don't-"

Amy didn't know how to finish her sentence. She was in too much shock to say much of anything. She heard Gabe close the door behind her and turned to face him. "You are amazing," she stated.

"I know," Gabe said smugly.

Amy chuckled and tossed her bag onto the closest bed. She pulled out her phone, scrolling through her contacts to find Bobby's number.

"Who you calling?" Gabe asked.

"Bobby." Amy hit the 'call' button when she found the old hunter's name. "He wanted me to call and check in once I had gotten to a motel." She held the phone up to her ear, listening to it ring.

A moment later, Bobby answered. "Yeah?"

"Hey, Bobby, it's me." Amy began pacing around the room like she always did when she spoke to someone on the phone.

"Good to hear from you, kid. You get to your motel alright?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I did. Just got to my room, in fact."

"Good," Bobby said. "Call if you need any help with the case. I'll just be here, reading through all this lore and trying to track down the Colt."

"I will, Bobby."

"Oh, and, uh, one more thing?"

"Yeah?"

"Be careful. I know you're a good hunter and you've got those powers of yours, but that doesn't mean something can't still go wrong."

Amy sighed. "I know, Bobby. I'll be careful, I promise."

"You better. Take care of yourself out there, kiddo. And don't hesitate to call me or Sam and Dean if you run into trouble."

"Alright. Talk to you later, Bobby."

The call ended and Amy set her phone down on the dresser underneath the TV, but not before glancing at the time. It was just after seven in the evening.

Gabe sat down on one of the beds. "All good?" he asked.

Amy nodded. "Yep." She grabbed the TV remote from the nightstand and lay down on her stomach next to the archangel, flipping on the TV.

"Ooh, what are we watching?" Gabe asked, an enthusiastic tone in his voice.

Amy shrugged. "Don't know yet."

She started going through the channels. It was mostly cartoons, reality shows, commercials, or the news on almost all of them that she flipped through. Just when she was about to figure that there was nothing on at this time, a show she loved more than anything came on the screen.

"Yes!" Amy exclaimed. She squealed in delight and kicked her feet around in the air, much to Gabe's amusement. "Oh my god, I freaking love this show!"

"What is it?" Gabe asked.

"Doctor Who," Amy explained excitedly. "It's a British sci-fi show about this alien who calls himself 'The Doctor' and travels through time and space in a blue police box."

"Hmm," Gabe said thoughtfully. Amy turned her head to look up at him. He was watching the screen intently, obviously interested in what was on the screen.

They watched TV together for a few more hours. It turned out, there was a Doctor Who marathon going on, which meant Amy knew what her plans were going to be when she wasn't busy with the case.

Eventually, Amy found herself getting tired. Her eyelids felt heavy and she found it more difficult to keep her head up. Maybe if she just rested her eyes for a moment...

Propping herself up on her elbow, she rested her head in her hand, closing her eyes.

* * *

**June 12th, 2009**

The next thing Amy knew, she was waking up underneath the covers with her head on a soft pillow. She groaned as she rolled over to look at the clock. It was just after eight.

"Morning, sleepyhead."

Amy groggily sat up, messy hair falling into her eyes. Gabe was sitting at the table, scrolling through her laptop.

"Morning." Amy climbed out of the bed and walked over to the table. Plates of toast, scrambled, eggs, and bacon sat on the surface. She grabbed a piece of bacon and started eating it.

Gabe closed the laptop. "You gotta go talk to the witness or whatever today, right?"

Amy nodded. "Yeah. Victim's son was the one that found her, so I just gotta figure out where he lives and go talk to him." She reached over and pulled her laptop to her, opening it up. "Sam taught me how to hack into police records not too long ago," she explained.

Amy pulled up the file for the only James Abel in town. Gabe watched over her shoulder as she scrolled through the page.

It turned out that James didn't live too far away from the motel. He had gone over to his mother's house, the day after she had moved in, to help her unpack, and had found her dead on the floor. An autopsy had shown that she had drowned in her bedroom.

Amy closed her laptop back up. "Alright, I'm gonna get ready and head out," she declared.

She grabbed her bag and headed into the bathroom. After putting on her FBI uniform, she brushed out her tangled hair and put it into a pony-tail, before heading out and tossing her bag back onto the bed. She dug through the bag, pulling out her fake FBI badge.

"See you later," she told the archangel as she grabbed her car keys.

"Don't die."

Amy rolled her eyes and headed out of the motel room. She made her way down to the parking lot and got into her car, starting the engine and driving away.

* * *

James's address was only a short twenty-minute drive from the motel. Amy pulled up in front of a white, suburban house with bushes lining the side. There was a wooden porch surrounding the house with a small flight of steps leading up to the front door. A stepping path led from the sidewalk to the porch.

Amy pocketed her badge, before getting out of the car and making her way up to the front door. She rang the doorbell and waited.

A moment later, the door opened, revealing a man with curly, blond hair. "Yes?" He asked.

"Mr. Abel?" Amy asked in an authoritative voice, showing her badge, "I'm Detective Hansen, FBI."

The man studied her badge for a moment. "How can I help you, detective?"

Amy put her badge back in her pocket. "I was wondering if I could ask you a couple of questions about your mother's accident."

"Oh, um, I'm actually not the Mr. Abel you're looking for, in that case. You're looking for James, correct?"

"Yes, that's right."

The man held out his hand. "I'm Anthony. James is my husband. If you'd like to come in, I can go grab him real quick." He stepped to the side, holding the door open further.

"Sure thing." Amy stepped inside the house.

"Make yourself comfortable," Anthony said. "I'll go get James."

Anthony disappeared down the hallway and Amy made her way into the spacious living room, sitting down on the leather couch.

A moment later, Anthony returned with a man Amy presumed to be James. She stood up as they walked closer. "James Abel?"

"Yes," James confirmed.

"Agent Hansen. Do you mind if I ask you a few questions?"

James's face fell. "This is about my mother, isn't it?"

"I'm afraid so. We're looking into her death."

"Why don't we sit down," Anthony suggested.

Amy sat back down. James sat in an armchair across from her, while Anthony stood next to him.

"I don't understand," James said once they were all seated. "I already talked to the cops yesterday."

"I know," Amy said. "I just had a few more questions to ask. Wanna make sure we've got all the details for this case."

"My mother passed away in her bedroom." The confusion was evident in Jame's voice.

"Yes," Amy agreed. "However, the autopsy report said that she drowned in her bedroom and that she hadn't been near any water at the time. And that before that, she was perfectly healthy. You don't think there's anything weird about that?"

James and Anthony exchanged a look.

"I suppose that is a little odd," James admitted.

"Mr. Abel, did your mother have any enemies?"

"Enemies?"

"Anyone that might have held a grudge or might have wanted to do her harm?"

"Uh, not that I know of."

Amy nodded. "Now, when you found your mother, did you notice any cold spots?"

"Cold spots?" Anthony asked.

"Maybe some flickering lights?"

"Now that, uh, now that you mention it. It did feel a bit drafty in the house when I went to the house that day," James admitted.

Amy nodded. She had all the info she needed. "Well, I, uh, I think that just about does it." She stood up along with James. "I'm sorry about your loss, but if you think of anything else, don't hesitate to call." She handed Anthony her card.

"Thank you, Detective."

James stayed behind while Anthony walked Amy to the door. "You are going to find his mother's killer, right?"

Amy stepped out of the house, turning back to face the man. "I'll do my absolute best to make sure that happens," she assured him.

Anthony nodded and closed the door behind her.

Amy turned and made her way back to her car. As she approached the door, her phone began to ring. She pulled it out, glancing at the caller ID.

It was Dean.

Mentally preparing herself for the worst, Amy answered her phone. "Hey, Dean. How's it going?" She slid into her car, closing the door.

"Pretty good, actually," Dean replied. "Sammy and I are in Vermont, looking for the Colt."

"Any luck so far?"

"None yet. Hey, listen, is Bobby there?" Dean asked. "I tried calling him, but his line was busy."

' _Crap_ ,' Amy thought.

"He's, uh, actually not - I mean, I'm not..."

"You're not what?"

"I'm not at the house with Bobby right now," Amy admitted. Why was her heart racing so much?

"You're not-" Dean began, "well then where are you?"

"North Dakota?"

There was a beep on the other line as Dean put her on speaker. "What the hell are you doing in North Dakota?"

Amy rubbed the back of her neck. "Bobby may have sent me out here on a...case."

There was silence on the other line. A long moment of silence that seemed to go on forever.

Finally, Dean spoke again. "What?" he asked.

"Amy, you're on a case?" Sam's voice came over the line.

Amy sighed. There was no backing out now. "Yeah," she admitted. "Since yesterday. Bobby found a possible ghost case in Mandan and asked me to check it out."

"Alright, we're driving down there."

"No!" Amy cried out frantically. "Dean, listen, I'll be okay on my own for this one case, I promise."

"Yeah?" Dean asked. "And what if you're not? I mean, what if something happens and we're not there to protect you?"

"That's just it, Dean," Amy said. "I don't need you to protect me all the time. I'm sure this won't be the only case I work by myself and when I work my own case again in the future, I'm not just gonna be able to wait for you to drive down from wherever you are if I'm in danger."

It was almost as if she could see Dean on the other line, thinking it over. "Are you safe?" he asked after a moment.

"Yes," Amy insisted. "Absolutely. And if any trouble does come up, I'll call and you can feel free to drive down here. But, in the meantime, I promise you I'm okay."

Dean sighed. "Okay," he said. "Call us if there's any trouble and just, uh, stay safe, kiddo."

"I will. Bye guys."

"Bye Amy."

The call ended and Amy started the engine and began her drive back to the motel.

* * *

Gabe wasn't in the motel room she got back. She didn't really think about where he had gone, figuring he had simply stepped out for a bit. She pulled her phone back out and dialed Bobby's number.

"Yeah?" Bobby's gruff voice came through the speaker.

"Hey, Bobby, is everything okay over there? Dean called, said he couldn't get a hold of you."

"Well tell Dean he can quit worrying," Bobby huffed. "I'm fine. Just on the phone with Rufus."

Amy sighed in relief. "Okay, Bobby."

"How's the case going?"

"I just got back from talking to the victim's son. Looks like it is a ghost I'm dealing with over here."

"Hmm. Well, alright then. Call if you have any trouble."

"Will do. Talk to you later, Bobby."

Amy hung up the call, tossing her phone onto the bed.

After changing back into her more comfortable clothes, she sat down at the table and opened her laptop back up.

Ten minutes later, she had learned that the first resident of the house back in the mid-sixties had drowned in her bathtub. The house had been remodeled and the bathroom where the first resident had drowned had been turned into a bedroom.

Amy looked up the obituary for the possible ghost.

Cremated. Of course.

She heard a flutter of wings and looked up to see that Gabe had returned.

"Hey," she said.

"Hey," Gabe echoed. He sat down at the table with her. "Did everything go okay?"

Amy nodded. "Yeah. Dean called when I was on my way back here."

"What's up with Dean-o?"

"Eh, he wanted to talk to Bobby. I had to eventually tell him I was working a solo case."

"How'd that go?"

"Uh, he almost started driving down here from Vermont to 'make sure I was safe' but I quickly shut that down."

Gabe chuckled. "Typical overprotective Dean."

"Hey, he's just looking out for me," Amy defended. "This is my first case alone, after all."

"Hey, what do you mean 'alone'?" Gabe asked. "I'm here."

"Yes, but Dean doesn't know that."

"True." Gabe leaned over to look at her computer screen. "So, anything exciting?"

"Think I might have found the ghost," Amy explained. "The first person to live in that house drowned in what is now the bedroom, exactly as the victim did."

"Huh." Gabe leaned back in his seat. "Neat-o."

Amy closed her laptop. "I'm gonna head down there tonight, finish this up."

"Why not just go now?"

"'Cause there might still be cops hanging around the crime scene and if I go while they're there and start lighting things on fire, chances are it's not gonna go well."

"Right. What are you gonna do till then?"

Amy shrugged. "Probably just watch TV or something. There is still that Doctor Who marathon going on and it's been so long since I've seen the earlier episodes."

"Ooh, I might join you," Gabe said. "I'm not afraid to admit I might have actually gotten hooked on it."

"Hell yes!" Amy grabbed the remote and threw herself back down on the bed, turning the TV back on. Gabe sat down next to her.

The marathon was now on season three. One of Amy's favorite episodes, in fact. Blink.

* * *

They spent the rest of the day watching the show together. Amy explained parts of the show that Gabe was confused about. Eventually, it got dark out, and at the end of the episode they were on, Amy switched off the TV.

"Alright," she said, stretching her arms. "I'm gonna head down to the house."

"Can I come with you?" Gabe asked.

Amy shrugged. "I don't see why not." She slid off the bed and grabbed her bag. She felt her pockets, looking around the room. "Where did I put my keys?" she muttered to herself.

"Forget your keys," Gabe said, standing up. "I can just fly us there."

"Oh yeah," Amy said, feeling slightly stupid for forgetting that.

"What's the address?"

"Uh..." Amy trailed off as she opened her laptop back up. "342 Withers Drive."

"Ready?" Gabe asked, holding out his hand.

"Let's go."

Amy took the archangel's hand. The next thing she knew, she was standing in front of an old house.

The house was old and wooden. From the outside appearance, it didn't look like anyone had lived in it at any point between the first resident and the recent victim. Dead plants lined the driveway and many of the windows were broken.

Caution tape was stretched across the front door. Amy walked up to it, ducking underneath and stepping into the house.

The inside of the house was cold and damp. The lights were turned off, making it seem slightly eerie as well, but Gabe flipped on the lights, quickly brightening up the place.

Amy and Gabe had found themself in a living room connected to a kitchen. She grimaced at the sight of the vintage sofa patterned with flowers. "Who willingly buys stuff like that?"

Gabe chuckled. Amy dropped her bag on the ground and pulled out her EMF meter.

"Checking for wires in the walls?" Gabe asked.

"Yeah. Won't do the professor much good though, will it?" Amy joked as well.

Gabe raised an eyebrow. "Wait, you weren't even there when all of that happened. How'd you know what I said?"

"I might not have been there, but it was an episode of the show. And the first appearance of you on the show, as well."

They started walking down the hallway. The EMF meter warbled as Amy moved it around. "And then, I think the next episode with you was the one I met you in."

"Ah, those were fun times," Gabe said with a smile.

"Oh yes, killing Dean over and over, so much fun."

"Hey, I was just trying to teach Sammy a lesson," Gabe defended.

"Yeah, I know."

As they walked past a closed door, the EMF meter started beeping like crazy. Amy opened the door to reveal a bedroom.

The room was small. It had plain, beige walls and a small bed with a wire-frame around it. A wooden dresser sat underneath a window across from the bed, and a rocking chair sat in the corner of the room.

Amy stepped further into the room, walking across the carpeted floor. Lying on the bed was a porcelain doll. Part of the pale, white face was chipped away and both eyes were completely black. The mouth was completely missing, leaving a gaping hole in its place. She picked up the doll and turned it to show Gabe. "This might be the creepiest thing I've ever seen in my life."

"Creepier than a vampire?" Gabe asked.

Amy turned the doll back towards her and looked down at it. The dark eyes stared back at her. They reminded her of a demon. She turned back to Gabe.

"Yes," she replied bluntly.

The EMF meter was going crazy now. This was clearly the object that the ghost was tied to.

"I think this is it," Amy said.

"Just gotta light it up and this is over now, right?"

Amy nodded. "Yeah. I left my lighter in the-"

Amy was suddenly cut off as she found herself being thrown across the room and pinned to the wall. Something flickered in the middle of the room and the figure of a woman appeared.

The ghost was wearing a shapeless blue dress with white cuffs. Her hair was dripping with water, forming a puddle around her strap shoes. She raised her hand and Amy started sliding up the wall.

"Gabe!" Amy cried out. She looked around the room, not seeing anything iron. "Help!"

Amy saw Gabe look around the room. The porcelain doll had fallen near the bed. Without even moving, he lit the doll on fire. She watched as the ghost burst into flames, screaming as it disappeared.

As soon as the ghost was gone, Amy started to fall towards the ground. She stopped herself before she hit the ground, hovering slightly in the air before lowering herself down.

The moment her feet were on the ground, Gabe was in front of her, pulling her into a hug. "You okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, I - I think so." She stared up at the archangel. "Gabe, if you hadn't been here, I could have just been killed right now."

Gabe didn't say anything. He only hugged her tighter.

"Can we go back to the motel now?" Amy asked, her voice muffled by his shirt.

She heard the flutter of wings and found herself back in the motel room.

* * *

"Holy shit," Amy muttered as she pulled away from the hug. "I could have, I mean I almost-" She stopped, unable to finish the sentence as the realization of how close she had probably been to dying.

"Hey, hey, hey," Gabe said softly, kneeling down in front of her. "You're okay now, right?"

Amy nodded. "Yeah, I'm okay." She shook her head. "Maybe Sam and Dean were right. I shouldn't be doing this alone."

"What are you talking about?" Gabe asked. "You shouldn't let one mishap stop you from doing this, especially when you're good at it."

"Yeah, but-"

Gabe cut her off. "But nothing. You've got your powers. Which you apparently can do more with now?"

"Oh yeah, you didn't know about that yet." Amy chuckled. "Remember when you first helped me relearn how to use my powers and I told you I used to be able to hover a bit?"

Gabe nodded. "Of course I remember."

"Well, sometime last year-" Amy picked both her feet off the ground, hovering several inches above it, before lowering herself back down again, "-I actually figured out how to do that again. Oh and, apparently I can read minds as well."

"You can what?" Gabe asked at the last statement.

"Yeah, I don't know." Amy rubbed the back of her neck. "I don't really like to use that last power. I've only used it twice. Once when I figured out I had that power after Sam and Dean encouraged me to use it during a case in order to practice a bit, and again pretty recently."

"What happened recently?" Gabe asked.

Amy smiled. "Dean got turned into a kind of ghost by an Imp."

Gabe blinked several times before he burst out laughing. "He what?"

"Oh yeah, you should have seen it." Amy was laughing now as well. "He couldn't touch anything, talk to anyone, or step outside of the motel room. Eventually, he figured out that he could think what he wanted to say to me and I could just hear it in my head."

Gabe continued laughing. "Oh, that is hilarious. I wish I had thought of that."

"Dean and Bobby both actually thought you were behind it at first," Amy said.

"Well that does sound like something I would do," Gabe admitted.

Amy smiled, before stretching her arms and yawning. "I'm gonna get some sleep." She grabbed her bag from the bed and headed into the bathroom, pulling on a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt. She pulled her hair up into a ponytail and walked back out to the main room, where Gabe was sitting back down at the table. "Night," she said.

She climbed into one of the beds, pulling the covers up to her chin as she lay her head on the pillow.

"Night, Amy."

The lights flicked off and Amy fell asleep.

* * *

**June 13th, 2009**

Amy woke up the next morning to find Gabe asleep in the other bed. She smirked as she looked over at him.

' _Don't sleep, huh_?' she thought. She climbed out of the bed and looked over at the time. Five in the morning. Amy groaned when she read the numbers. Why was she awake so early? She was still so tired.

Not seeing a point in going back to sleep, she slid out of the bed. Grabbing her bag once more, she headed into the bathroom and turned on the shower.

* * *

Amy stayed in the shower for several minutes before finally getting out. She dried her hair as much as she could and got dressed, walking back out to find Gabe now awake, sitting on the end of the bed.

"Morning, sleepyhead," she said jokingly. "I thought you didn't sleep."

"Must have dozed off," Gabe said.

Amy's phone began to ring and she answered it. "Hello?"

Bobby's voice came over the speaker. "Hey, kid. Everything going okay over there?"

"Yeah," Amy confirmed. "Ghost is dealt with. Gonna head back to the house as soon as I get packed up here."

"Alright then. Hey, call Sam and Dean when you get a chance alright? Those two were calling me practically all night asking if I had heard from you."

Amy chuckled. "I'll let them know I'm still alive," she promised.

"Good. I'll see you when you get back."

"Bye, Bobby."

Amy hung up her phone and immediately dialed Dean's number. It rang once before he answered.

"I'm alive, you happy?" she asked before he could say anything.

She heard Dean breathe a sigh of relief over the phone. "You're okay," he said. "We were calling you last night but you weren't answering."

"Yeah, sorry about that. I fell asleep almost as soon as I got back to the motel."

"And the ghost?"

"Dealt with. I'm just packing up here and then I'm gonna drive back down to Bobby's."

"Alright. Drive safe and, uh, call us when you get back to Sioux Falls, alright?"

"I will. Talk to you later, Dean."

The call ended and Amy slipped her phone back into her pocket.

"Mind if I tag along for a bit when you drive back to Sioux Falls?"

"Oh no, please do tag along," Amy said. "A six-hour car ride by myself? I might die of boredom." She put her laptop into her bag and zipped it up, putting the strap over her shoulder.

Gabe handed Amy her car keys. "They were under the bed," he told her.

Amy took the keys. "Thank you."

Gabe flew them down to Amy's car. Amy found herself right in the driver's seat. She stuck the key into the ignition and started the engine, driving out of the parking lot.

* * *

**Sioux Falls, South Dakota**

The drive back to Bobby's seemed to pass in no time. Gabe and Amy spent the entire drive talking and joking around, just like they had done on the way to Mandan.

"Three things?" Amy asked, after Gabe's most recent question.

"Yep," Gabe confirmed. "Any three little facts about you that Sam or Dean don't know about yet."

"Let's see." Amy thought for a moment. There were so many to pick from. "I worked as a lifeguard for a few years, I know a bit of sign language, and I'm self-taught on the guitar."

"You play guitar?"

"I might be a little rusty since I haven't actually played since I met Sam and Dean, but yes," Amy confirmed. "I played for about five years."

"Little musician over here, huh?"

Amy chuckled as she pulled up to Bobby's house.

"Well, guess I should be going now," Gabe said. "Before anyone sees me."

"Yeah." Amy sighed. "Guess so." She turned to the archangel. "Thanks for hanging out with me, and, you know, saving my life and all that."

Gabe smiled at her. "Don't mention it. I'll see you soon, kiddo."

There was a slight breeze and Gabriel disappeared from the passenger seat. Amy grabbed her bag from the back and climbed out of the car. She walked up to the front door and pushed it open, stepping inside the house.

"Bobby?" Amy called out. "I'm home."

"I'm in the study!"

Amy made her way into the study, where Bobby was once again buried in books and papers. "Hey," she greeted.

"How'd the hunt go?"

"Good." Amy nodded as she dropped her bag on the floor. "It went really good."

"Nice work, kid," Bobby praised. "Why don't you come over here and help me out for a bit?"

"Sure thing. I just gotta call Dean really quick," Amy told him. "He asked me to call once I got home."

Bobby grunted and Amy stepped out of the study, pulling out her phone and dialing Dean's number once more. She didn't need to wait long before he answered.

"Yeah?"

"Hey," Amy said. "Just calling to tell you I'm back home."

"Good. Put Bobby on the phone will ya?"

"Uh, sure." Amy walked back into the study and held the phone out to Bobby. "Dean wants to talk to you."

Bobby took her phone, holding it up to his ear. "Yeah."

There was a pause on the other line as Bobby listened to Dean. "Because everyone else was busy, ya idjit," he snapped. "I already told you and your brother that."

Another pause. "She can take care of herself and like it or not, one of these days she might have to go on more solo hunts."

Amy turned her eyes to the floor. It was fairly obvious that Dean and Bobby were arguing about her.

"I know you want to be, boy, but you won't be there all the time to protect her if something goes wrong." Bobby paused for a brief moment. "But nothing. She's not some damn damsel in distress."

Bobby hung up the call with a huff, handing the phone back to Amy.

"I don't think I need to ask what that was about," Amy said meekly as she pocketed her phone.

"Then don't. You gonna help me, or what?"

Amy nodded. "Sure thing, Bobby." She grabbed a stack of papers and sat down on the couch to begin reading them.

As soon as she sat back down, her phone rang again. She let out a long sigh. "What now?"

It was Dean calling again. She answered the call. "Yes?"

"Hey, uh, listen, Sammy and I are on our way back to Sioux Falls. We should be there tomorrow to pick you back up."

Amy frowned. "This doesn't have anything to do with recent events does it?"

"No, no," Dean said hurriedly. "I just figured, it's been a few days. Think it's about time we get the whole gang back together."

"Okay, awesome," Amy said, now smiling. "I'll see you guys when you get here, then."

"Yeah, alright."

The call ended and Amy turned to Bobby. "Dean's coming to pick me up," she explained. "Said he and Sam'll be here tomorrow."

"Okay," was the gruff reply that she got.

Amy turned back to the papers, stretching out her legs across the couch.


	37. Fallen Idols

**July 5th, 2009 - Concord, North Carolina**

It was nearly three weeks later. Amy laid on the bed, hanging her head over the edge as Sam worked on his laptop. They hadn’t done much since the Winchesters had picked her back up from Bobby’s, other than search for the Colt.

The door suddenly opened and Dean walked in, coming back from the bar. “Got us a case.”

Amy perked up at that. “You did? Where?”

“Canton, Ohio. Guy named Cal Hopkins suffered a head-on collision.”

“Okay, so?” Sam interrupted.

“So, the car was parked in a garage when he crashed,” Dean finished.  
  


“Dean, do you really think a case is important right now?” Sam asked.

“Guy dies in a parked car,” Amy said blandly. She shrugged. “I dunno, Sammy. It sounds like it could be just a little bit important.”

“Yeah, no, I know,” Sam said quickly. “I’m just saying, we have more important matters on hand. You know, finding the Colt? Finding a way to kill the devil or put him back in the cage?”

“And we will,” Dean said. “But right now, we’re taking a break from that to do what we do best. Now hurry up and pack, we gotta leave.”

Amy slid off the bed and grabbed her bag, tossing it onto the mattress. She threw her clothes inside and zipped it up, slinging the strap over her shoulder.

Sam and Dean grabbed their bags and they headed out to the Impala. The three of them put their bags into the trunk and climbed in. Dean started the engine and sped out of the parking lot.

* * *

“So—” Sam asked, breaking the long silence. He chuckled slightly. “—what's with this job?”

Dean frowned. “Dude suffers a head-on collision in a parked car? I'd say that's worth checking out.”

“Yeah, definitely, uh, but, uh, we got bigger problems, don't you think?”

“I'm sure the apocalypse'll still be there when we get back.”

“Right, yeah,” Sam said after a moment, “but I mean, if—if the Colt is really out there somewhere—”

“Hey, we've been looking for three weeks, we got bupkis,” Dean reminded him.

Sam nodded. “Okay. But Dean...I mean, if we're gonna—ice the Devil—”

“This is what we're doing!” Dean snapped. “Okay? End of discussion.”

Amy opened her mouth to say something, but decided against it.

“It's just that this is our first real case, back at it together,” Dean said a bit calmer. “You know, I, I think we oughta ease into it, put the training wheels back on.”

“So you think I need training wheels.”

“No, 'we',” Dean corrected, “'We' need training wheels, you, me, and Amy. As a team. Okay?”

“Okay,” Amy agreed.

Sam nodded. “Okay.”

“I mean, I really want this to be a fresh start, you know? For all of us.”

Sam and Dean exchanged a glance. Sam nodded again. “Okay.”

Dean turned back to the road as he continued driving along.

* * *

**July 6th - Canton, Ohio**

They reached Canton early the next morning. They checked into a motel down the street from the station and changed into their uniforms before driving down to the sheriff’s department.

They approached the sheriff and showed him their badges. 

“Agents Bonham, Copeland, and Rose,” Dean introduced.

The sheriff shook their hands. “Rick Carnegie,” he said. “Good to know ya. So you're here on account of Cal Hawkins's death?”

“That's right.”

“Well, 'fraid you came a long way for nothing. We already booked the guy that did it.”

Amy frowned and tilted her head in confusion. 

“I'm sorry; who do you think did it?” Sam asked.

“His buddy,” Rick said. “Here, follow me.”

The sheriff led them into the interview room. The hunters sat down at a table as he turned on a TV. 

The screen flicked on to show a garage. The footage was shaking slightly as if someone was walking with the camera.

“Cal?” a male voice asked behind the camera. “Hey, you alright man?” 

The camera zoomed in on a silver car as the cameraman continued walking closer. “Cal? Is something wrong?” 

The cameraman chuckled lightly as the car came into view. The footage now showed Cal, his face smashed into the windshield. The camera lowered. “Cal. Cal!”

The video turned to static and the sheriff shook his head, before turning off the TV. He dropped the remote on the table, before turning back to the hunters. 

“Sicko taped his own handiwork.”

The hunters looked at each other, confused.

“I don't follow,” Sam said.

“It was Jim Grossman that killed Cal,” Rick stated bluntly.

“What makes you say that?” Amy asked.

“Well, he was the only one on the scene for miles.”

“They were best friends,” Sam argued.

“Most violent crimes are committed by someone close to the victim.”

“And how exactly did Jim slam Cal into a windshield with all the force of an eighty-mile-per-hour crash?”

Rick blinked a couple of times. “Drugs, maybe?”

Amy raised an eyebrow in confusion. 

“Look, you know this ain't brain surgery!” Rick said. “Whatever it looks like, that's what it usually is. It's simple.”

“Simple,” Dean echoed. “Right.” He glanced over his shoulder, looking back at Sam and Amy.

“Right,” Sam said. “Um, if you don't mind, we'd like to speak to Jim Grossman anyway.”

Rick looked between the three of them, before shrugging. “I don’t know what good it’ll do you, but come on.” He stood up from the chair. “I’ll show you to his cell.”

They followed the sheriff down the hallway to a holding cell. There was a man sitting inside, shaking his leg nervously.

“Jim,” Rick said, “FBI here to see you.”

Jim looked up at them as the sheriff unlocked the cell and let them in.

“Holler if you need anything,” the sheriff told them as he locked the cell back up and walked away.

Sam sat down at a table against the wall while Amy and Dean stood behind them. “Mr. Grossman, I’m agent Copeland. These are my partners, agents Bonham and Rose. Why don’t you tell us what happened the night Cal died?”

“I was in the house when it happened, I didn't even see it,” Jim insisted.

“For argument's sake, say we believe you,” Dean said.

“Why would you? The cops didn't.”

“Well, we're not your typical cops.”

“Tell us what you saw, Jim,” Amy said. “Please.”

“It's not what I saw, it's what I heard. Tires squealing, glass breaking.” Jim sighed. “It was the car that did it,” he said seriously.

“I’m sorry, did you say ‘the car did it’?” Amy asked, raising an eyebrow.

Jim nodded. “I mean, I heard about the curse, but, I just thought it was a load of crap.”  
  


“Curse, what do you—what do you mean, curse?”

“The car. Little Bastard.”

Dean slowly turned his head towards Jim. “Li—Little Bastard?” he asked excitedly, stepping forward. “As in the Little Bastard?”

“Wait, wait, wait, wait, uh, what's Little Bastard?” Sam asked.

“It's James Dean's car. It's the one he was killed in.”

“Wait, the James Dean?” Amy asked.

“Yeah, that's the one,” Jim confirmed. “Cal had been looking for it for years. I mean, hell, we both had. But he found it first.”

Dean slowly leaned forward, getting right next to Sam’s ear. “Oh, we are definitely checking this out.”

Sam sighed at his brother and stood up, walking over to the cell door. “Sheriff,” he called out, “I think we’re done in here.”

The sheriff walked back down the hall and unlocked the cell door to let the hunters out. “So,” he said as he locked it back up again. “Get everything you needed?”

“I think so,” Sam said. “We’ll be on our way now.”

Rick nodded. “You agents need anything else, just give me a call.”

“Thanks.”

Amy followed Sam and Dean out of the department and back down to the Impala, climbing into the backseat. Dean started the engine and began driving towards the impound garage.

  
  


It was a short drive down to the garage. The hunters showed their badges to the manager, and he led them to where the car was being held. 

A silver Porsche sat in the middle of the garage. The name ‘Little Bastard’ was printed on the hood underneath the numbers ‘130.’ Part of the windshield had been broken off where Cal’s head had gone through and a large bloodstain ran down the glass.

Dean walked around the car, staring at it in awe as Sam and Amy watched. 

“So, what, this is, like, Christine?” Sam asked.

Dean shook his head. “Christine is fiction. This-” he held his hands out over the car. “-this is real.”

“Who’s Christine?” Amy asked.

“It was this early eighties movie about a supernatural car who killed every owner it had,” Dean explained. 

“Okay, well if this isn’t like Christine,” Sam said. “Enlighten me.”

“Well after James Dean died, his mechanic bought the wreckage, and he fixed it up,” Dean explained. “And it repaid him by...”

“By killing him?” Amy finished.

“Exactly. Fell right on top of him. And Tony McHenry was killed when it locked up on the racetrack.” Dean stopped by the driver’s door. “I mean, death follows this car around like exhaust. Nobody touches it and comes away in one piece.” He leaned inside the car.

Sam frowned as he made a thoughtful noise. 

“Then, in nineteen-seventy, it vanished off the back of a truck.” Dean straightened back up, walking back around the car. “Nobody's ever seen it since. I'm telling you, man, if this—if this car is Little Bastard, I will bet you dollars to donuts it's what killed the guy.”

“So how do we find out?”

“Cal matched the VIN number, but the only real way to know is the engine number.”

Sam nodded. “I'm guessing the engine number—?”

“On the engine,” Dean confirmed. “Yeah.”

Amy looked back and forth between the Winchesters’ worried expressions. “You girls want me to do it?”

Dean chuckled nervously. “No, no,” he said, taking off his jacket. “I won’t put you in danger like that. I’ll do it.”

Sam took off his jacket as well. The brothers rolled up their sleeves and stood in front of the car, staring at it with a hint of fear in their eyes. 

“My offer to do it still stands,” Amy said, folding her arms.

“You want me to do it?” Sam asked.

“No. No, no, I've—I've got it,” Dean said nervously. He walked closer to the car as he began talking to it. “Okay, baby. I'm not gonna hurt you, so... don’t hurt me.”

Dean put a pencil in his mouth and laid down on a roller board. Sam handed him a piece of paper and Dean took a deep breath before rolling himself underneath the car until just his feet were sticking out. The metal of the car began to creak and Amy saw his feet shift around quickly as Dean panicked under the car.

Sam walked over to one side of the car, kneeling down next to Dean’s head. “Need a flashlight?”

Amy saw Dean jump slightly. “No,” he said quickly, his voice shuddering slightly. “Don't...do anything, just go away.”

“You—uh, okay.”

“Don't speak,” Dean continued. “All right? In fact, don't even look at her, she might not like it.”

Sam straightened back up, walking back over to Amy. They waited in silence while Dean got the copied down the engine number and rolled back out from underneath the car, breathing heavily as he quickly stood up.

Dean handed Sam the paper. “Find out who owned it. Not just the last owner, you gotta take it all the way back to nineteen-fifty-five.”

“That's a lot of research.”

“Well, I guess I just made your afternoon.” Dean sighed as he turned around and walked out of the garage, grabbing his jacket on the way.

Amy watched Dean walk off. “Something tells me he’s not gonna be much help finding the previous owners,” she said.

Sam shook his head. “Come on.” 

They followed Dean back out to the Impala.

  
  


Dean dropped Sam and Amy off at the Nite Owl motel, saying he needed to do something and would be back later. He sped off as soon as they were out of the car.

Sam sighed and led Amy back up to their room. He sat down at the table and pulled out his laptop.

Amy sat down in the other chair, pulling out her laptop as well. “I’ll help you track down the car owners,” she offered.

Sam nodded and turned his attention back to the screen. Amy opened her laptop and got to work as well.

* * *

A few hours later, they finally gathered all the information about the car's previous owners. It turned out that it had never belonged to James Dean. 

“So, it wasn’t the ghost of James Dean?” Amy asked.

“Doesn’t look like it,” Sam said.

“So then what?” Amy continued. “Shapeshifter? Demon?”

Sam picked up his phone, dialing Dean’s number. 

There was a moment of silence before he spoke. “Hey. Took a while, but Amy and I traced all the car's previous owners.” There was a pause as he listened to Dean. “Nope. In fact—”

Sam stopped talking as he suddenly frowned. “Dean, are you in a bar?” 

Amy rolled her eyes. Of course Dean was at a bar while she and Sam worked.

Sam closed his eyes and shook his head as Dean spoke on the other line. “I've been working my ass off here,” he snapped.

Amy watched as Sam listened to Dean speak. 

“Actually, you didn't,” Sam muttered. There was another brief pause before he continued. “The car's first owner was a cardiologist in Philadelphia; drove it 'til he died in nineteen-seventy-two. That Porsche is not, nor has it ever been, James Dean's car. It's a fake Little Bastard.” He paused again. “Good question. Amy thought maybe shapeshifter or demon.”

There was a long pause. “I mean, it’s possible,” Sam continued. “Look, why don’t you get over here so we can figure this out.” Sam paused for a final time. “Because I wanna get this case over with, that’s why.”

Sam slammed his phone shut and tossed it on the table.

“Everything okay?” Amy asked, almost too hesitant to ask.

“It’s fine,” Sam snapped.

Amy held up her hands defensively, leaving the conversation at that.

A few minutes later, Dean walked into the room.

“Hey,” Sam greeted his brother.

“Hey,” Dean echoed as he walked over to them. “So, fake Little Bastard, huh?”

Amy nodded. “Looks like it. But if it’s not the ghost of James Dean-”

“Then what are we dealing with?” Dean finished. “Exactly. I mean, you’re right, it could be a shapeshifter.”

“Yeah, but why would a shifter decide to look like famous dead people?” Sam asked.

“Yeah, that does seem a little odd,” Dean agreed.

* * *

**July 7th, 2009**

The next morning, Amy was back at the table with Sam and Dean, helping research whatever they could have been killing.

“I still don’t know what we could be dealing with if it’s not a ghost,” Sam said with a groan.

Amy looked over at the police radio, which they had turned on in case anything else happened. “Maybe something else will happen and we can get around to killing this thing.”

As if on cue, the radio clicked to life. “All nearby units, we’ve got a 10-54 on Morris Ave. Male body found with gunshot wound to the head.”

Amy blinked several times. “When I said ‘maybe something will happen,’ I didn’t mean right this second.”

Dean chuckled as Sam rolled his eyes. 

“I’ll see what I can figure out about what happened, and then we can head over," Sam said.

"Sounds good." Amy walked over to the bed and threw herself down on it, grabbing the remote. She flicked on the TV, scrolling through the channels while Sam worked.

  
  


"Okay, so get this," Sam said roughly ten minutes later. 

Amy looked up from the show she had ended up on. "What you got?"

"Victim's name was William Hill. His maid, Consuela Alvarez, was the one who reported his death. Apparently she witnessed it through the window while standing outside." 

"Did it say how he died?" Dean asked. 

Sam scrolled through the page. "Gunshot wound to the head," he read. He scoffed as he read further. "But, uh, there was no gun, bullet, or bullet-powder found." 

"Hmm," Dean said thoughtfully. "Well that definitely sounds weird enough to be our thing." He slapped his brother on the shoulder. "Come on, let's get going."

  
  


The hunters changed into their uniforms and headed down to the crime scene. They flashed their badges to a nearby detective, who let them in.

Walking down the hall, they could hear Rick Carnegie giving orders to another officer. They turned a corner to find him standing in a large room. The walls had been painted red with blood and a forensics team was taking photos of the scene. 

"The evidence is here, we just gotta find it," Carnegie was saying. 

"Heard you got another weird one," Dean said, drawing the sheriff's attention to them. 

"Uh, well, it's a—it's a little strange on the surface, I admit," Carnegie said nervously, "but, uh...you know, once you—you look at the facts..."

Sam cut him off. "William Hill died from a gunshot wound to the head. No gun, no gunpowder, no bullet."

Amy smirked. "But, no, you're absolutely right. Something like that is completely normal."

"Well, there's gotta be a reasonable explanation," Carnegie said desperately. "There always is."

"Well, what's your reasonable explanation?" Dean asked. 

Carnegie looked around, before leaning closer to them and whispering. "Professional killer."

"Come again?" Sam asked. 

"Well, CIA, NSA, one o' them trained assassins, like in Michael Clayton," Carnegie defended.

Amy stared at Carnegie, her mouth open in shock.

"Right," Dean said in disbelief.

Carnegie sighed. "You're welcome to look around, but—but these guys don't leave fingerprints."

"Mind if we talk with the witness?" Sam asked.

"Be my guest. She's not making any sense!" Carnegie leaned in closer. "And she's not making any sense in Spanish either."

"Right," Dean said slowly. 

"Uh, where can we find her?" Amy asked.

"She's outside, talking with one of my officers."

"Thank you." Sam led them back outside. 

They walked outside to find a Hispanic woman sitting on a bench, wrapped in a blanket while a police officer talked to her. The hunters approached, pulling out their badges. 

" _No puedo vivir aquí_ ," the woman was saying in between sobs. " _Necesito mi familia. Me voy ahora. Me voy a la casa. No—me voy a la casa en El Salvador ahora._ "

"Consuela Alvarez?" Dean asked. 

Consuela turned around. "Yes?"

"FBI."

Amy flashed her badge along with Sam and Dean. The police officer nodded to them and walked off. 

"Now, uh, you said you saw something in the professor's house. Right?" Dean asked. "Something in the window?"

" _Estaba sacando la basura. Imiré por la ventana y vi al hombre que mató al Señor Hill_!" Consuela told them. 

Trash, window, man, and Mister Hill. Those were the only words that Amy recognized. 

Sam knelt down in front of the woman. _"Uh, Señora Alvarez. Cálmese, por favor_ . Uh—" he trailed off, looking back at Dean and Amy as he translated the words he was about to say. " _Uh, díganos lo que vio_?"

"Nice."

Sam shrugged. "Freshman Spanish."

Amy leaned towards Dean to whisper to him. "I took two years of Spanish in high school and I understood three of those words."

" _Era alto_ ," Consuela told them. " _Muy alto. Y llevaba el abrigo negro largo y tenía bigotes_."

Sam looked back to Dean and Amy as he translated for them. "Okay, uh, a tall man, very tall. With a long black coat and a—" Sam turned back to Consuela as he gestured a beard on his face with a hand. "A beard?"

Consuela nodded and Sam turned back to Dean and Amy. "Beard," he echoed. 

" _Y un sombrero_ ," Consuela added. 

"Dude was wearing a sombrero?" Dean asked. 

"He was wearing a hat," Amy corrected. 

"No, no, no," Consuela said quickly. " _Un sombrero alto_."

"A tall hat?" Sam asked. 

"Oh, like a top hat," Dean said surely.

Consuela shook her head. " _Un sombrero alto_." She gestured above her head. " _Muy alto_!"

"What, you mean like a—like a stovepipe hat?" Dean asked, imitating her gesture.

Consuela nodded. " _Sí_."

"Oh yeah, like Abraham Lincoln."

Sam shrugged as Consuela started sobbing again. 

" _Sí_ ." She took a deep breath and looked up at the hunters. " _El Presidente Lincoln_."

Amy looked between Sam and Dean in confusion. They both had the same expression as her on their faces. 

"Abraham Lincoln kill Mister Hill!" Consuela wept.

"Huh," Dean said. 

"Wha-?" Amy began, unable to finish her question.

"S-so I go home now?" Consuela asked.

" _Uh, sí. Gracias_ ," Sam said, helping the woman up. 

" _Gracias_ ," Dean and Amy echoed.

Consuela walked away as Sam frowned at Dean and Amy. 

"So, we're looking for James Dean and Abraham Lincoln?" Amy asked.

"Guess if this thing really is a shifter, it has an obsession with dead famous people," Dean said. 

"Maybe it is a ghost?" Amy wondered. 

"Maybe," Sam agreed. "Whatever it is, we should check it out, though. I'm gonna check out the bodies at the Coroner's office. Maybe something there will tell us something." 

Dean nodded "Okay. Let's get going."

They climbed into the Impala and Dean sped down the road towards the Coroner's office.

It was a short drive to the office. Dean and Amy waited outside while Sam headed in to look at the bodies. 

Amy leaned against the hood of the car, rocking the ball of her foot against the edge of the curb. About fifteen minutes later, Sam came back out.

"Find anything?" Dean asked as Sam approached. 

Sam shook his head. "Nothing that stook out." 

Amy frowned. "Maybe the video Cal's friend took will tell us something?"

"Yeah, that's a good idea," Dean agreed. "Let's get back to the motel. There's gotta be something that'll give us a clue as to what the hell we're dealing with here."

* * *

They drove back to the motel and headed inside the room. Amy headed into the bathroom to change and when she came out, Sam and Dean were sitting at the table with their laptops open in front of them. 

Dean had the video of Cal's death pulled up on his screen. The clip played for a moment before he paused it and skipped back a few frames until something red appeared in the car.

Amy walked up behind him. "Is that what I think it is?" she asked. 

Sam looked up from his laptop across the table. "What?"

Dean jumped back and forth between a couple of frames. The red reflection could be seen in one frame, but not another. He picked the laptop up and turned it so Sam could see. 

"It's a freeze-frame from Jim Grossman's video," Dean explained. 

Sam looked at the frame as he waited for Dean to continue.

"Am I crazy, or does that look like James Dean?"

Sam nodded in confirmation. "That looks like James Dean."

Dean set his laptop back down. 

"Abraham Lincoln and James Dean?" Amy asked. "Who's next, Alexander Hamilton?" 

"Famous ghosts?" Dean asked. He looked over at Amy as she frowned. "Or shifter."

"If they are ghosts, then what the hell are they doing in Canton, Ohio?"

Sam frowned. "There is a ton of lore on famous ghosts," he said. "More than the, you know, not-famous kinds. I'm actually surprised we haven't run into one before." He turned back to his laptop and started typing something.

"Yeah, but now we got two of 'em? Two extremely pissed-off ghosts?" Dean asked.

"Who are apparently ganking their fans," Sam said as he found what he was looking for. 

Dean and Amy looked over at Sam in confusion.

"What do you mean?" Dean asked. 

Sam started reading off the webpage. "Professor Hill was a Civil War nut. He dug Lincoln."

"And Cal spent years looking for James Dean's car," Amy added. "Must have been pretty obsessed with the guy."

Sam raised his eyebrows knowingly.

"So you're saying we've got two super-famous, super-pissed-off ghosts killing their...super-fans?" Dean asked.

Sam shrugged. "That's what it looks like."

"Well, that is _muchos loco_ ," Dean said.

Sam smiled. " _Muy_ ," he corrected. "Not ' _muchos_ '."

Dean rolled his eyes. "Yeah, well, the big question is, what the hell are they doing here?"

"Famous person memorabilia?" Amy asked. "Like in a history museum?" 

Sam frowned again. "It's possible. I mean, if something that belonged to both Abraham Lincoln and James Dean are here in Canton, it would make sense that the ghosts are here of all places."

"Alright well, you look into that," Dean said as he closed his laptop and stood up. "I need a drink."

Sam rolled his eyes as Dean walked over to the fridge and opened it up.

"Damnit," Dean muttered. He pulled out a can of soda and closed the fridge. "We're out of beers." 

Sam sighed and shook his head as Amy sat down in the now-vacant chair. He turned back to his laptop as Dean opened the can and leaned up against the counter. 

* * *

The sound of typing could be heard throughout the room as Sam researched. Twenty minutes later, he stopped typing and frowned once again. 

"You gotta be kidding me."

"What?" Dean asked as he walked back over and read his brother's laptop screen. "You gotta be kidding me."

Amy stood up and walked around the table to join them. She looked at Sam's laptop screen to see a website for a local wax museum 'featuring real historical items displayed on each figure.'

"Are you serious?" she asked.

"Okay, so, wax museum with an item owned by each person displayed," Dean said. "Could be what's tying the ghosts here."

Sam nodded. "Looks like it's still open," he said. "We should go check it out. Before they close."

"Alright, yeah," Dean said. "What time do they close?"

"Six."

Amy looked over at the clock. It was just after four. "We better get going, then." 

Sam closed his laptop and stood up. 

Dean grabbed the keys to the Impala and led them out to the car. They climbed in and he drove them out of the parking lot in the direction of the museum.

* * *

Despite being open all day, the wax museum was completely empty when they arrived. They walked into the first room, where they could see wax figures of various presidents sitting around a replica of the Oval Office. 

Amy walked up to the Abraham Lincoln figure. It was wearing a stovepipe hat, exactly like Consuela had said. 

"Dude, he's short," she heard Dean say as Sam stepped up next to her to look at the Lincoln figure as well.

Amy turned to see Dean looking at a figure of Gandhi.

"Hey. Gandhi was a great man," Sam defended. 

Dean scoffed. "Yeah, for a Smurf."

A balding man wearing a leather jacket came running down the stairs, slightly out of breath.

"Sorry to keep you waiting," he told them, "this is our busiest time of the year."

Amy looked around. There was no one else in the building as far as she could tell.

"This is busy?" Dean asked.

"Well, not right now, but it's early," the owner said. 

"It's four-thirty."

The owner laughed nervously. "So, what can I do for you?"

"Uh, well, we are writing a piece for Travel Magazine," Sam began.

"On wax museums," Amy continued.

"Yeah, and how, uh, totally non-sucky they are," Dean finished. 

The owner beamed at them. "That's fantastic. A little press, just what we need."

Sam smiled back. "Great. Well we're interested in a few of your exhibits, specifically Abraham Lincoln and, uh, James Dean."

"Two of our most popular displays."

Sam feigned surprise. "Oh yeah? So they bring in a lot of visitors?"

The owner nodded. "Yeah, we have our regulars."

"William Hill and Cal Hawkins?" Amy asked. "Were they regulars?"

The owner nodded. "As a matter of fact, they were. Yeah, I heard what happened to them. It's tragic, just tragic." He glanced down sadly before quickly looking back up at them. "Oh—you—that's not gonna be in the article, is it?" he asked quickly. 

"No. No, no. 'Course not," Sam assured him. 

"You know, I gotta tell you," Dean said as he pointed to the Lincoln figure, "that—that Lincoln is so lifelike, I mean, you—I mean, you can just imagine him moving around. You ever see anything like that?"

The owner frowned as he turned to Dean. "Uh...no."

Dean shook his head. "No?"

"Well, um, is there anything you could think of that would make your museum...unusual?" Sam asked. "You know, for the article?"

"Well, I'll say," the owner said with a chuckle. "There isn't another place like us, not anywhere."

"Oh yeah?" Amy asked. "And, uh, how is that?"

"Well, for one, that's Honest Abe's real hat," the owner said as he pointed to the Lincoln figure. 

' _Oh great_ ,' Amy thought as she mentally sighed in frustration.

"It is?" Sam asked. 

Dean looked pointedly at his brother. "Almost like his remains."

Amy saw the owner frown next to her. "Just ignore them," she told him. "They're very into the supernatural." 

"Uh, right," the owner said as he eyed the Winchesters carefully. Dean grinned at him. 

"You wouldn't happen to have any of James Dean's personal effects, would you?" Sam asked. 

"Ooh, yeah," the owner said with a nod. "Got his keychain. We got a bunch of stuff, uh, Gandhi's bifocals, FDR's iron lung. This." He finished by gesturing to the leather jacket he was wearing. 

"A leather jacket?" Amy asked.

Sam frowned. "And who did that belong to?"

"The Fonz," the owner said as a smile spread across his face. "Seasons two through four!" He gave them a double thumbs up.

"W-wow. Yeah, that's—that's really cool...ish," Sam said uneasily. 

"This?" The owner scoffed. "This is nothing. I've been working on a new collection of figures. Stuff that'll really wow the kids."

"The kids?" Dean asked. 

"Yeah, Gen Y," the owner clarified. "Computer games, cell phones, sexting." He scoffed as Amy raised an eyebrow. "They're just fads. I'm gonna make wax museums hip again." 

The owner grinned and gave them another double thumbs-up. Amy gave him a forced smile as Sam returned the thumbs up. 

"Well, uh, if you three want, feel free to take a look around and I'll just be in my office if you need me."

Sam nodded and the owner left.

Amy watched the man walk off, before turning back to Sam and Dean. She let out a long breath. "Oh boy."

"Alright, so we got a wax museum filled with life-like replicas of historical people," Dean began, "along with actual items those people owned." 

"Definitely sounds like a ghost," Sam said.

Amy nodded. "Yeah, I think you guys might be right."

"Alright, let's get out of here," Dean said. "Get back to the motel, come back after this place closes for the night."

Sam and Amy agreed and the three of them headed out of the building and climbed into the Impala.

* * *

"Hey, Ames?" Dean asked as he drove down the dark road.

"What's up?" 

"Gen Y, what is that?" 

"They're better known as Millennials," Amy explained. "There's a bit of confusion over when the generation actually started, but most people say it's anyone born from the early eighties to mid-nineties. Sam's a millennial, and technically speaking, so am I even though I grew up with the next generation after."

"And I'm not?" Dean asked.

"No, I don't think so," Amy said. Cause you were born right at the end of the last generation." 

"Huh." The conversation died as Dean pulled into the parking lot.

They headed into the motel room. 

"Place closes in about half an hour," Dean told them. "We should wait until it's dark before we head back, though."

Amy threw herself face down on the mattress. It was a lot harder than she had anticipated and she let out a pained groan.

"Ow."

Dean laughed as a small amount of pain shot through Amy's nose. She rolled over onto her back and rubbed the bridge of it for a moment until the pain went away.

Sam rolled his eyes and shook his head as he opened up his laptop.

* * *

About forty minutes later, Sam closed his laptop back up. "Alright, I'll load up the shotguns and meet you back in here."

"I'll help you," Amy offered. She rolled off the bed and followed Sam back out of the room and back down to the Impala. 

Amy helped Sam load the shotguns with rock salt shells. When everything was done, they put the shotguns back in the trunk and closed the lid, before heading back up to the room.

Dean was on the phone when they opened the door to the room. His back was turned to them as he spoke quietly to whoever was on the other line. 

"Yeah, Abraham Lincoln and James Dean, can you believe that?" Dean was saying in disbelief. He paused for a moment. "Why so kill-crazy?" he asked. "Ah, maybe the apocalypse has got 'em all hot and bothered." 

He scoffed as the person who, Amy now assumed to be Bobby on the other line, spoke again. "Yeah, well, we all know whose fault that is."

Amy frowned as she heard Dean say those words. She glanced up at Sam, who was also frowning.

"Well I'm sorry, but it's true."

Sam closed the door shut, causing Dean to turn around. 

"I'll call you later. Bye."

"What's going on?" Sam asked as Dean hung up the call.

"Did you get the trunk packed up?" Dean asked.

Sam nodded. "Yeah, trunk's packed." He nodded towards the phone in Dean's hand. "Who was on the phone?"

"Bobby."

"What, that's it?" Amy asked.

Dean shrugged.

"So we're just gonna pretend I didn't hear what I just heard?" Sam asked.

Dean shrugged again. "Pretend or don't pretend. Whatever floats your boat."

"Dean, come on," Amy said in exasperation. 

"This was supposed to be a fresh start, Dean," Sam snapped.

Dean picked up his jacket. "Well, this is about as fresh as it gets. Now are we going or not?" 

Amy watched Dean walk to the door and open it up, walking out of the room without looking back. She stood there for a moment, before following him out of the room, with Sam close behind.

* * *

The wax museum was completely dark by the time they arrived. They grabbed their shotguns and the duffle bag filled with everything they needed and headed towards the entrance. Sam picked the lock and they stepped inside the vacant building.

"Alright, let's get this over with so we can get out of here," Dean said as he walked ahead of them, further into the room.

The museum seemed a lot eerier with everyone gone. The wax figures seemed to watch them as they moved further into the dark room. 

They walked back past the Gandhi figure. Amy stopped to look around at the other figures as Sam continued on, grabbing a metal trash can. 

"Check it out."

Amy turned to see Dean standing in front of the Lincoln figure, wearing the stovepipe hat.

Dean lowered his voice as he began to imitate Lincoln. "Four score and seven years ago-"

"I had a funny hat," Amy finished the quote along with Dean. 

Sam let out a long sigh. "Dean." He set the trash can down and held out his hand. 

Amy frowned. "You're no fun," she muttered.

"We can't have any fun with this?" Dean asked as he tossed the hat into the trash can. 

"Let's just torch the objects, torch the ghosts, get outta here. Okay?" Sam snapped.

"I'll go grab East of Eden's keychain." Dean walked into the next room. 

Amy rocked back and forth on her feet as Sam scanned the room. He narrowed his eyes and leaned closer to the Lincoln figure.

"Something up?" Amy asked.

Before Sam could reply, the doors Dean had walked through slammed closed. 

Sam and Amy spun around.

"Dean?" Sam called. He walked over to the doors and Amy stood, ready with her shotgun in her hands. "Dean?" He tried the door handles, but the doors didn't budge.

Amy held out a hand. The doors shook with a strong force, but remained firmly shut. She lowered her hand as she noticed her breath forming in front of her. 

Sam spun around, readying his shotgun as well. He signaled for Amy to go in one direction, and she did, moving past the presidential figures in the Oval Office replica as Sam walked past Gandhi and Lincoln.

There was a faint creaking noise to her right. Amy spun towards it as her shotgun flew from her hands. She watched Sam's gun fly from his hands as well and they both stood there, almost completely defenseless. 

Sam suddenly grunted as Gandhi lept on his back and wrapped his arms around his neck. Sam slammed him into the wall and the figure fell off. 

Amy scrambled over to her gun, picking it up as Gandhi crawled under Sam's legs and climbed back into his back. She aimed the shotgun, hesitating as panic shot through her. 

"Shoot it!" Sam yelled as Gandhi wrapped his arms around his neck again.

"I don't wanna hit you!" Amy yelled back as Sam continued stumbling around. She aimed the shotgun around, trying to get a clear shot. It was almost no use, though. Everytime she found herself aiming at Gandhi, Sam would stumble into the line of fire. 

Sam threw himself backwards, crashing through a table. Gandhi let go for a brief moment, before jumping back on Sam. 

"Get the glasses!" Sam managed to get out. 

Amy sprinted across the room, passing the double doors as Dean burst through them. The older Winchester stopped in his tracks, his determined look turning to confusion as he saw who was attacking his brother. 

"Is that Gandhi?"

"Yeah!" Sam grunted.

"Dude, he's squirrelly."

Amy grabbed the glasses off the Gandhi figure and spun back around. "Dean!" she called out, getting his attention. 

Dean quickly turned to face her and she tossed the glasses to him. He caught them and hurried over to the trash can as Sam began to gasp for air. He quickly poured the lighter fluid on them and dropped a lit match inside, lighting Gandhi's glasses and Lincoln's hat on fire. 

Gandhi disappeared and Sam bent forward, gasping for air

"You couldn't have been a fan of someone cool?" Dean asked. Sam stared at him in disbelief. "Really? Gandhi?"

"I can't be the only one who noticed that Gandhi didn't go up in a screaming inferno, right?" 

Sam straightened back up. "No, I noticed that too," he said. "It was definitely weird." 

"Hey, whatever," Dean cut in. "We got the ghost. Let's get out of here." He grabbed his stuff and walked out of the building. Sam and Amy watched, both frowning as he walked out. 

Eventually, they followed Dean back out to the Impala. Something didn't feel right to Amy, though. Maybe she had been right and it wasn't a ghost after all. It didn't feel like a shapeshifter either, though. So what was it?

They got back to the motel late at night. Amy collapsed onto her bed, exhausted from the long day.

* * *

**July 8th, 2009**

"Ready to blow this joint?"

The next morning, the hunters were packing up their belongings. Sam was in the bathroom, packing his toiletries into a small bag as Dean tossed his shirts into his duffle. Amy sat on her bed and waited for them with her already packed bag.

Sam came out of the bathroom, zipping up the toiletries bag as he frowned. "Dean, didn't it strike you as strange the way Gandhi just...vanished?"

Dean looked up at his brother. "Strange how?"

No flames, no screaming," Amy said. "That's not how a ghost usually goes out."

Dean shrugged. "Still, I torched, he vanished."

"Yeah, but I..." Sam trailed off as he let out a sigh. "Also, I feel like he was...trying to take a bite out of me."

Dean frowned." A bite?"

Amy leaned forward as Sam nodded. "Yeah, like he was hungry," he said. "But the thing is, Gandhi—or, the real Gandhi—he was a—" 

"A what?" Dean asked as Sam hesitated. Sam didn't say anything. "Spit it out," he demanded.

"He was a fruitarian," Sam finally admitted.

Dean stared at Sam for a moment, before chuckling slightly. "Let me get this straight," he said as he walked forward. "Your, uh, ultimate hero was not only a short man in diapers, but he was also a fruitarian?"

"That's not the point," Sam insisted.

"That is good." Dean pointed at Sam. "That is—even for you, that is good."

Sam sighed in frustration. "Look, I'm just saying, I'm not so sure this thing is over."

Dean spread his arms out. "It was a ghost."

"Was it, though?" Amy cut in. "I mean, it sure as hell didn't act like a ghost. It didn't go out like a ghost."

"Yes," Dean snapped. "It was a weirdly super-charged fruitarian ghost, but it was still a ghost. Now let's go." He grabbed his bag, picking it up.

Sam scoffed. "So first you drag me into town, and now you're dragging me back out."

"You ain't steering this boat. Let's go, chop chop." Dean walked towards the door.

"You know, this isn't gonna work," Sam said, stopping his brother.

Dean turned back around. "What isn't?"

"Us. You, me, Amy." Sam pointed around at all of them. "The three of us together, I—I thought it could, but it can't."

"You're the one that wanted back in, chief," Dean said.

"And you're the one who called me back in," Sam reminded him.

"I still think we got some trust building to do."

"How long am I gonna be on double-secret probation?"

Dean shrugged. "Till I say so."

Sam took a deep breath. "Look. I know what I did," he said calmly. "What I've done. And I am trying to climb out of that hole, I am, but you're not making it any easier."

"So what am I supposed to do, just let you off the hook?"

"No," Sam said quickly. "You can think whatever you want." He looked at Amy. "Both of you can. I deserve it, and worse. Hell, you'll never punish me as much as I'm punishing myself, but the point is, if we're gonna be a team, you and I—it has to be a two-way street."

"So we just go back to the way we were before?" Dean asked. 

"No, because we were never that way before. Before didn't work."

Amy frowned as she listened to Sam and Dean talk. 

"How do you think we got here?" Sam continued.

Dean frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Sam sighed. "Dean, one of the reasons I went off with Ruby...was to get away from you," he admitted.

Amy looked down at the floor. She hated being in the middle of Sam and Dean arguing. Just standing or sitting there while they talked about their feelings or whatever. 

"I'm gonna be outside," she muttered as she grabbed her bag and slipped out the door.

"What?" Dean asked Sam as the door closed behind Amy.

Amy dropped her bag on the ground and leaned up against the wall. 

Whatever they were hunting obviously wasn't a ghost, but she still didn't know, or remember, what it was. Of course she wouldn't remember what it was anymore. It had been, what, over two years since she met Sam and Dean? Over two years since she had watched any of the show? She could still remember major things, but not stuff like what monster they were hunting anymore. It probably wouldn't be long until she didn't remember anything from the show anymore.

The door swung open and Dean stuck his head out. "Hey, come back inside real quick," he said.

Amy grabbed her bag and followed Dean into back into the motel room. "What's up?" 

"Sheriff called," Dean explained. "Got another death."

"Another 'death by famous dead person'?" Amy asked.

"Yeah. Get dressed. We're gonna head down and talk to the witnesses."

Amy nodded and quickly grabbed her FBI uniform from her bag, before hurrying into the bathroom. She quickly changed and headed back out to meet Sam and Dean. 

"Let's go." 

* * *

Dean drove them back to the sheriff's department. They headed inside and made a beeline towards Sheriff Carnegie, who was sitting at his desk.

"Sheriff Carnegie?" Sam asked as they approached. 

Carnegie looked up at them. He looked distressed.

"Sheriff, what happened?" Dean asked.

"I, uh, uh..." Carnegie shrugged and shook his head. "I don't know!" He pointed then towards the interview room.

Amy looked up at Sam and Dean as they exchanged a glance, before following them into the room. 

There were two teenage girls in the room. They were sitting at the table, crying as the hunters walked in. 

"Excuse us, girls," Dean said. The girls looked up and Amy pulled out her badge, showing it to the girls as Sam and Dean showed theirs. "Hi, we're with the FBI."

"Can you tell us what happened?"

"It was horrible!" the girl in the green jacket sobbed.

"Way horrible," the other girl added.

"What was horrible?" Sam asked.

"I thought she'd be nice!" the first girl said.

The second girl turned to the first. "I still can't believe it."

"Believe what?" Dean asked.

The second girl turned back to Dean. "She took Danielle!"

"Who?" Dean urged.

The two girls looked day each other, hesitant to answer.

Sam sat down at the table. "It's okay, you're safe," he assured them, "just, tell us. Who took your friend?"

"It was...Paris Hilton," the second girl admitted after a moment.

"Sorry, what?" Amy asked. Every level of confusion was running through her at that moment. Paris Hilton? Had she heard that correctly?

"She looked really good, though," the second girl said quickly.

"Skinny!" the first girl said.

"Skinny and fast," the second girl added.

"What—wait—huh?" Dean stammered out.

"Uh, um...where did they go?" Sam asked.

The first girl shook her head. "We don't know."

"They just vanished," the second girl said 

"Would you excuse us for just a minute?" Dean asked. 

Sam and Amy followed Dean to the doorway. 

"Paris Hilton's not dead as far as we know, right?" Dean asked, speaking just above a whisper.

"Last I checked, no," Amy said. 

"Which means it's not a—"

"Ghost," Sam agreed. "No."

"So, what?" Dean asked. "Paris Hilton is a homicidal maniac—"

"Or we missed something," Sam finished.

"So what should we do?" Amy asked.

Sam thought for a moment. "Maybe I missed something at the Coroner's office," he said.

"You wanna go back?" Dean asked.

Sam nodded. "I'm gonna check out the vic's again. See if anything new turns up."

"Okay, yeah," Dean said. "Let's get going." 

The hunters turned and walked out of the room, leaving the crying girls sitting at the table.

* * *

Dean and Amy stood outside the Coroner's office once more as Sam headed inside. 

Eventually Sam came back out. He walked over to them, shaking his head.

"I can't believe I missed it."

"Find something?" Amy asked as she walked with the Winchesters back to the Impala.

"Went back over the other two vics," Sam explained. "There was blood loss. Major."

"Oh, well, being a gory smear will do that to you," Dean pointed out.

Sam shook his head. "No, I—I mean more blood loss than a—a car crash or a head wound should cause, almost like it—"

"Something's feeding," Dean realized.

"Yeah."

"Awesome," Dean muttered sarcastically. Amy grimaced in agreement.

"And then—" Sam took out a plastic bag, holding it up to Dean and Amy. "There were these."

Amy looked at the bag. Two seed-like things were inside. "Are those seeds?" she asked as Dean grabbed the corner of the bag.

"Seeds," Sam explained. "They were in both vics' bellies."

Dean quickly took his hand off the bag. "I hope you washed your hands."

"They're unlike any seed I've ever seen before, Dean," Sam continued.

Dean smirked. "Wow, just when I thought you couldn't get any geekier." He patted Sam on the shoulder and the three hunters climbed into the car to head back to the motel.

* * *

Sam pulled out his laptop as soon as they got back to the motel. He set the bag with the seeds down on the table next to it as he tried to figure out what they were. Amy and Dean helped, sitting at the table with Sam or on the bed with their own laptops.

Finally, Sam grinned. "Yahtzee."

"What?" Dean asked.

"The seeds aren't from around here," Sam explained. "In fact, they're not from any tree or plant in the country."

"Where are they from, then?" Amy asked as she stood up and moved around the table to look at Sam's screen.

"Eastern Europe," Sam read. "From a forest in the Balkans, which is not even there anymore. It was chopped down, like, thirty years ago."

"So?"

Sam sighed. "So, local legend has it that the forest was guarded by a pagan god whose name was Leshi."

At the name 'Leshi' something seemed to click in Amy's mind. "Leshi!" Ashes exclaimed, interrupting Sam. "That's what it was. It's something that can take on infinite forms, right?" 

Sam nodded. "Um, yeah, a mischievous god."

"And let me guess. He liked to munch on his fans."

Sam chuckled. "Yep. Could be appeased only with the blood from his worshippers. It would drain 'em, then stuff their stomachs with the seeds."

Dean stood up from the bed and walked over to the table. "So how's he doing it? What, he touches James Dean's keychain and then morphs into James Dean?"

Amy shrugged. "Dunno." 

"It's as good a guess as any," Sam said.

Dean leaned over Sam's shoulder. "Yeah, well, whatever. How do we kill him?" 

"Says here to chop off his head with an iron axe," Sam read.

Dean nodded. "All right. Let's go gank ourselves a Paris Hilton."

Amy shook her head. "Of all the things I thought I would do today, killing Paris Hilton was not on the list." She closed her laptop and followed Sam and Dean back out to the Impala.

"Where do you suppose this Leshi thing is?" Dean asked. 

"It seems to frequent the wax museum," Sam said. "Maybe it went back."

Dean nodded as he started up the engine and pulled out of the parking lot.

* * *

They got back to the wax museum just after dark. Amy grabbed her shotgun, making sure it was loaded as Dean grabbed the iron axe and Sam grabbed a flashlight. 

They crept back inside the wax museum, moving past the now hatless Lincoln model. Sam signaled for them to split up and Amy took off to the right. She walked past more figures of celebrities, many of which she didn't recognize. 

Sam whistled from another room and Amy hurried over to meet up with him, running into Dean on the way. Sam was standing in front of a door with signs reading "Sorry for the inconvenience, CLOSED FOR RENOVATIONS" and "DANGER DO NOT ENTER" on it.

Dean used the axe to break the latch and pushed open the door to reveal a plastic sheet in the doorway. They pushed through to find a room decorated to look like a clearing in the woods. There was a path that led up to a white house in the middle with a figure of a man standing on the front porch. 

Amy spotted a young woman standing next to a tree. The woman was tied up by her wrists, her eyes were closed, and her head was slouched forward.

"Danielle?" Amy asked, moving towards her. She felt her pulse. It was there, but only barely.

"She alive?" Dean asked.

Amy nodded. "Barely."

The axe suddenly flew from Dean's hands, landing in a tree on the other side of the room. Amy quickly spun around to find Paris Hilton standing behind Dean, grinning. 

The Leshi punched Dean several times in the face. He fell to the ground and the Leshi flipped her hair, looking up as Sam lunged at her.

Amy held a hand out towards the axe as Sam lunged at the Leshi. The axe was stuck deep in the tree and wouldn't move. 

' _Come on, come on_ ,' Amy thought. She took her eyes off the Leshi as the axe started to move out of the tree. Out of the corner of her she, she saw Sam fly across the room, crashing into the front wall of the house.

The axe finally flew into Amy's hand. She caught it just in time to turn back and see the Leshi standing in front of her. The Leshi punched her in the face a couple times, before throwing her across the room as well. Amy hit one of the trees and fell to the ground, unconscious.

* * *

When Amy finally came to, she found herself tied to a tree with ropes around her wrists. The Leshi, still disguised as Paris Hilton, was sitting on a tree stump. On another stump next to her, were various knives. She picked one up and began filing her nails, causing sparks to appear.

Amy looked around the room. Sam and Dean were on the other side of the room, tied to two trees next to each other. They slowly came to, struggling against the ropes.

The Leshi looked up at the three of them. "Oh. I'm so glad you're awake for this," she said as she continued filing her nails. "This is gonna be huge."

Sam and Dean looked at each other, then over at Amy. Amy began discretely untying the ropes around her wrists. 

"Super," Dean grunted sarcastically. "Yeah, I wouldn't wanna miss it."

"I mean, I've been stuffing myself with fast food lately," the Leshi continued. "So it's nice to do the ritual right. Prepare a nice, slow meal for a change."

"Just like the good old days, huh?" Sam asked.

"When people actually gave a crap about you?" Amy asked.

The Leshi stopped filing her nails and shot them a threatening glare. "People worshipped me," she spat. "But then they cut down my forest and built a Yugo plant."

"March of progress, sister," Dean said.

The Leshi continued filing her nails. "For years now, I've been wandering. Hungry. Scared. Scrounging for scraps. So not sexy."

Amy frowned as she continued undoing the ropes. 

"But then, the best thing ever happened," the Leshi continued. She put down the knife. "Someone tripped the apocalypse. And I thought, what the hell, I'm tired of watching what I eat. I wanna pig out. So I found this little place. It's awesome. Adoring fans stroll right in the door."

"Yeah. But they're not your fans," Sam said pointedly.

The Leshi shrugged. "So? They worship Lincoln, Gandhi, Hilton...whatever. I'll take what I can get."

Dean scoffed. "You know, I gotta tell you, you are not the first god we've met, but you are...the nuttiest."

"No, you, you people, you're the crazy ones," the Leshi corrected. "You used to worship gods. But this?" She indicated her disguise. "This is what passes for idolatry? Celebrities? What have they got besides small dogs and spray tans?"

Amy frowned as Dean raised his eyebrows.

"You people used to have old-time religion. Now you have Us Weekly," the Leshi finished. 

"I don't know, I'm more of a Penthouse Forum man myself," Dean joked. He clicked his tongue and winked.

The Leshi stood up and strolled over to him. "Maybe, but...there's still a lot of yummy meat on those bones, boy."

Dean licked his lips nervously. "Well I hate to break it to you, sister, but, uh...you can't eat me. See, I'm not a Paris Hilton BFF. I've never even seen House of Wax."

Amy had almost gotten the ropes around her wrists undone by this point. She started to work faster, now becoming more frantic.

"No," the Leshi agreed with Dean. "But I can totally read your mind, Dean. I know who your hero is. Your daddy. Am I right?" 

Dean didn't reply. The Leshi smirked and walked over to the axe, now lying on the floor. "And this belonged to him. Didn't it? Poor little Dean. All you ever wanted was to be loved by your idol. One distant father figure, coming right up." 

Amy got her ropes undone just as the Leshi knelt down by the axe. The Leshi reached out to touch the handle and Amy quickly held out a hand. The axe flew into it and the Leshi quickly stood back up. 

Dean broke free from his ropes as well. He sprinted across the room and tackled the Leshi to the ground. Sam began struggling with his ropes and Amy hurried over to him.

"No!" Sam yelled quickly. "Go help Dean!" 

Amy hurried over to where Dean and the Leshi were. The Leshi was kneeling on top of Dean, punching him repeatedly in the face. She tackled the Leshi off of Dean, knocking it to the ground, dropping the axe in the process.

Across the room, Sam broke free from his ropes and dashed across the room. He picked up the axe as Dean punched the Leshi in the face. Sam brought the axe down on the Leshi's neck five times, before it finally rolled off.

Amy fell back as Sam dropped the axe. His face was covered in blood.

Dean held up a finger at his brother. "Not a word," he said threateningly.

"Dude. You just got whaled on by Paris Hilton!"

Dean grunted in pain. "Shut up."

Amy smiled in amusement as she stood back up. Dean lied back on the ground, holding his head. 

"Dean, come on, dude," Sam said, "we gotta go."

"Yeah," Dean grunted. "Yeah, let's go." He stood up, grunting in pain as he did so. "Get the girl," he said, nodding towards Danielle. 

Sam walked over to Danielle. He untied her and she fell into his arms. He picked her up, carrying her bridal style out of the room. 

After gathering everything up, they headed out of the wax museum and back to the Impala. They loaded everything into the trunk and climbed in. Danielle was placed in the backseat with Amy. She began to stir as Dean started the engine.

They stopped at a hospital on the way back to the motel. Dean and Amy waited in the car as Sam carried Danielle inside. A while later, he came back out and they headed to the motel.

* * *

Amy tossed her clothes into her bag as Sam and Dean packed up their stuff as well.

Dean's phone rang as he was zipping up his bag. He answered it. "This is agent Bonham." He listened for a moment. "Sheriff," he said, greeting the person on the other line, "what can I do for you?"

Amy zipped up her bag and looked over at Dean as he listened to the sheriff speak, adding the occasional "uh huh," or "okay." 

The hunters grabbed their bags and walked out of the motel room.

"Uh-huh. All right. Thank you." Dean finished his call, pocketing his phone. "Sheriff Carnegie," he informed the others. "Danielle's gonna be all right. She's sworn off The Simple Life, but other than that—" he shrugged.

"Glad she's okay," Sam said sympathetically. Amy nodded in agreement.

"It gets better. Sheriff's putting out an APB on Paris Hilton."

Amy chuckled. "Can't wait to see how that goes." 

"I know," Dean agreed. "That oughta be good." He took out the keys to the Impala and opened the trunk. They put their bags inside.

Dean sighed. "Hey, listen, I was thinking about what you said yesterday," he told Sam. "About me keeping too tight of a leash on you."

Sam didn't reply.

"Hell, maybe you're right," Dean continued. "I mean, look, I'm not exactly Mister Innocent in this whole mess either, you know. I did break the first seal."

"You didn't know," Sam said quietly.

"No, but we did know about Lilith," Dean reminded him. "I should have been better at trying to stop you."

"We both should have been," Amy said, looking down at the ground. "Especially me."

Dean fiddled with the keys. "Point is, I was so worried about watching your every move that I didn't see what it was actually doing to you." He paused. "So, for that I'm sorry."

Sam nodded. "Thanks."

Dean closed the lid to the trunk. "So where do we go from here?"

"They way I see it, we got one shot at surviving this."

"What's that?" Dean asked.

"Maybe I am on deck for the devil, maybe same with you and Michael, maybe there's no changing that."

Amy raised an eyebrow. "Nice pep talk, Sam."

"But, we can stop wringing our hands over it," Sam continued. "We gotta just grab onto whatever's in front of us, kick its ass, and go down fighting."

Amy nodded. "I'm in for that plan."

Dean thought for a moment. "Yeah, I can get on board with that."

Sam nodded as well. "Okay. But we're gonna have to do it on the same level."

Dean grinned. "You got it. I say we get the hell outta here."

Sam nodded again. "Hell yeah."

Amy headed towards the back as Sam and Dean moved towards their sides of the Impala. 

"Hey."

Amy looked up to see Dean looking across the top of the car at Sam, holding out the keys.

"You wanna drive?"

"You sure?" Sam asked.

Dean nodded. "Yeah, I could, uh...I could use a nap."

Sam smiled as Dean handed him the keys. They switched sides of the car as Amy climbed into the backseat, behind Sam as he climbed into the driver's seat and drove them away from the motel.


	38. I Belive the Children Are Our Future

**July 14th, 2009 - Casper, Wyoming**

A few days later, Amy was sitting at the table in another motel with Sam and Dean. She had her feet up on the only unoccupied chair around the table as she scrolled through her Tumblr feed on her own laptop.

"Hey, I think I got something," Sam said, getting everyone's attention.

Dean looked up from their dad's journal. "What you got?"

Sam cleared his throat. "Uh, Alliance, Nebraska. A girl named Amber Greer was found dead in the home of the kid she was babysitting. Police say something clawed through her brain." He shrugged. "Alliance is only a few hours away. It might be worth checking out."

Dean thought for a moment. "Alright, yeah. We can go check it out. Might be our kind of thing."

Amy closed her laptop. "Awesome! I'll start packing my stuff." She stood up from the table and grabbed her bag from the floor, tossing it onto her bed.

Sam and Dean packed up as well, and soon they were ready to head out.

Amy grabbed the strap of her bag, swinging it over her shoulder. She followed Sam and Dean out to the Impala and stood by the trunk as she waited for Dean to open it.

Dean took out the keys and popped open the trunk. "So, what are we thinking?" he asked as they all put their bags in. "Werewolf?"

Sam shrugged. "Dunno. Maybe? The police report didn't say anything about the heart being missing."

"Hmm." Dean closed the trunk, taking the keys out of the keyhole. "Alright, let's get going."

They climbed into the Impala and Dean started the engine. Amy put her head against the window as he drove out of the parking lot.

* * *

**Alliance, Nebraska**

After a short, three-hour drive with one quick stop to get a bite to eat, they arrived at Liberty Motor Inn. Sam checked them into a room on the first floor, and they headed in.

Amy tossed her bag onto the far bed and turned back to face the Winchesters. "We gonna go talk to the witnesses?"

"Uh, no," Dean said. "I think we'll head down to the morgue first. Get a look at the body." He nodded towards the bathroom. "Go ahead and get changed and then we'll head out. FBI."

Amy nodded and grabbed her bag again. She disappeared into the bathroom and pulled out her FBI uniform. After putting it on, she brushed the knots out of her thick hair and pulled it into a low ponytail.

Once she was ready, Amy headed back out to the main room. She tossed her bag back onto her bed and sat down on the mattress while she waited for Sam and Dean to get ready.

"Alright, let's get going," Dean said as Sam came out of the bathroom.

Amy grabbed her badge out of her bag and followed Sam and Dean back out to the Impala.

* * *

The morgue was only a few short miles from the hotel. Dean pulled into the parking lot and they grabbed their fake badges and headed inside the building.

A doctor looked up as they approached. "Can I help you with something?"

Amy opened her badge and held it up for the doctor to see as Sam and Dean did the same.

"Agents Page, Plant, and Jones," Dean said. "FBI."

The doctor frowned. "What brings you agents by?"

"We need to see Amber Greer's body."

"Really? What for?"

"Well, something clawed through her brain, didn't it?" Amy asked. "At least, that's what the police report said."

The doctor frowned again. "You didn't read the autopsy report that I emailed out this morning?"

Sam shifted nervously. "W-we had, uh, server issues," he said quickly.

The doctor looked back and forth between the three of them, before shrugging and leading them to the freezers. He opened one of them and pulled out the slab inside. He tossed back part of the sheet, revealing the body of a young woman.

The woman had a hole in the side of her head, going all the way down to her brain. Large, bloody marks that appeared to have been made from claws covered the side of her face.

"When they brought her in, we thought she was attacked by a wolf or something," the doctor informed them.

"Or something," Dean muttered as he examined the hole.

"But we were wrong." The doctor picked up a plastic bag and showed it to the hunters. Inside was a small object which, upon closer inspection, turned out to be a press-on nail.

"Is that a—" Sam began.

The doctor nodded. "It's a press-on nail. We found it in her temporal lobe."

"Are you saying she did this to herself?" Amy asked. "I didn't think that was possible."

The doctor put the bag down. "It'd take hours, and it'd hurt like hell, but sure—it's possible."

"How?" Dean asked, raising an eyebrow.

The doctor shrugged. "Pick your acronym—OCD, PCP. It all spells crazy."

Amy walked closer to the slab as Sam pulled the sheet back further. On Amber's right hand, were four press-on nails, still attached. The middle finger, however, had nothing.

"My guess, some kind of phantom itch. I mean, an extreme case, but..." the doctor trailed off.

"Phantom itch?" Sam asked.

"Yup." The doctor covered Amber's body back up with the sheet and slid the slab back into the freezer. "All it takes is someone talking about an itch—or thinking about one, even—and suddenly you can't stop scratching."

"Thanks, doc."

Amy followed Sam and Dean out of the room as she absent mindedly began to scratch the underside of her wrist.

"Okay, so it's not a werewolf," Dean said as he scratched his ear. "Ghost, maybe? Maybe she got possessed, you know? Couldn't control herself, something made her scratch her brains out?"

Sam shrugged. "I suppose it's possible."

"We've seen it happen before," Amy recalled. "Once. But why would a ghost possess someone to scratch their brains out?"

"I dunno," Dean said. "Let's go talk to the witnesses, see if they know anything." He turned to Sam. "What are their names again?"

"Uh, Francine and Andrew Jansen," Sam said. "They live about ten miles out. They've got a son named Jimmy."

Dean nodded as they reached the Impala. "Alright, let's go talk to them. See if they know anything."

Amy nodded and climbed into the backseat. She closed the door as Dean pulled away from the curb and drove away from the morgue.

* * *

They arrived at the Jansen residence a short while later. Sam grabbed a notepad and pen from the glove compartment and they headed up to the front porch.

Dean rang the doorbell and a moment later, the door opened up. A man about Dean's height stood in the doorway.

"Yes?" the man asked.

"Andrew Jansen?" Dean asked. The man nodded and the hunters flashed their badges again. "FBI. Mind if we ask you a few questions about Amber Greer?"

Andrew looked back at his wife, who was sitting on the couch and looked as if she had been crying. He turned back to the hunters. "We, uh, we already talked to the cops," he said.

"I know," Sam said. "We just had a few follow-up questions. We won't take up too much time."

Andrew nodded. He stepped aside and gestured them in.

"Thank you," Sam said as they stepped over the threshold.

"Honey?" Andrew said as he approached his wife. "FBI are here. They have a couple more questions for us." He sat down on the couch next to her.

The woman, Francine, sniffled. "Do we have to do this now?"

"We'll only be a couple moments," Sam assured her. He sat down in the arm chair and opened up the notepad.

Amy walked around behind the couch with Dean as they searched around the room for anything unusual. She could hear Sam talking to the Jansen's in the background.

"Okay. Okay, now, some of these questions might seem a bit odd," she heard Sam say, "but please just bear with me. Have you noticed any cold spots in the house?"

"Uh...no," Andrew said.

"Okay, uh, what about strange smells?"

Amy stopped focusing on Sam as she searched around a corner.

"Whatcha lookin' for?" a small voice asked.

Amy turned to see Dean standing by another corner with a small boy now standing in front of him.

"Don't know yet," Dean said. He walked up to the boy. "It's, uh, Jimmy, right?"

Jimmy nodded.

Amy walked up to them. "Amber was your babysitter, right?"

Jimmy nodded again. "Yes, ma'am."

"Yeah, most of my babysitters sucked," Dean told him. "Especially Ms. Chancey. She only cared about two things." He held up two fingers. " _Dynasty_ and bedtime."

"Jimmy, did you happen to see anything that night?" Amy asked. "Anything strange, maybe?"

Jimmy shook his head. "No," he said a little too quickly.

Dean and Amy exchanged a look.

Dean turned back to Jimmy. "You sure about that?"

"I—I would tell you if I knew something," Jimmy said nervously.

Dean narrowed his eyes disapprovingly at Jimmy.

"I promise," Jimmy insisted. "One hundred percent. Cross my heart."

Dean looked over his shoulder, then back to Jimmy. "Well, Jimmy, I, uh...I happen to know you're lying."

"I'm not," Jimmy said, growing evidently more nervous.

Dean placed a hand on the boy's shoulder. "We gonna start talking truth, or are you and me gonna have to take a little trip downtown?"

Jimmy looked down at the floor.

"Jimmy, we're only trying to help," Amy spoke up. "Just tell us what you saw."

"I didn't mean to," Jimmy said quietly. "It was supposed to be a prank."

Amy raised an eyebrow. "What was?"

Jimmy looked up at them. "Itching powder. I put it on Amber's hairbrush last night."

"Sorry, did you say itching powder?" Dean asked.

Jimmy nodded. "I'm sorry," he said.

"It's not your fault, Jimmy," Amy said. "You didn't know anything bad would happen. Do you still have the itching powder, by chance?"

Jimmy nodded again. "It's in my room."

"Would you mind grabbing it and bringing it down here? We're gonna need to get it examined."

Jimmy nodded quickly and hurried upstairs. Amy waited until he was out of sight before turning to Dean.

"Itching powder shouldn't work like that," she said. "I know when I was at the foster home, Ms. Claudwell would tell the younger kids it would make you scratch your brains out, but it doesn't. Not really."

"Yeah, I know," Dean replied. "Still, we should look more into it. Might be a cursed object or something."

Jimmy came back downstairs. He was holding an opened package of itching powder, which he handed to Dean.

"Thanks, Jimmy," Amy told the young boy.

Dean pocketed the itching powder and walked up to the couch. He cleared his throat, getting Sam's attention, and signaled that they had to leave.

Sam nodded. He closed up his notepad and turned back to address the Jansens'. "Okay, well, uh, I think that's about it." He pulled out a card and handed it to Andrew. "If you have any questions or think of anything else, just give me a call."

Andrew nodded, but didn't say anything. Sam stood up from the armchair and they headed out of the house.

Dean took out the itching powder from his pocket and held it up to show Sam. "Kid said he put this on the babysitter's hairbrush."

Sam scoffed. "Dean, there's no way itching powder made that girl scratch her brains out. It's just ground-up maple seeds."

Dean shrugged. "If you have any other theories, I'm open to 'em."

Sam's phone rang as they reached the Impala. He answered it as Amy and Dean opened their doors.

"Yeah?" Sam as he listened to the caller. "Yeah, we'll be right there." He quickly hung up and circled around to the passenger side.

"Another one?" Amy asked as Sam slid into the car.

Sam nodded. "Down at the hospital."

Dean started the engine and sped off down the street.

* * *

When they reached the hospital, they headed inside and quickly found the same doctor from earlier.

"Thanks for coming," the doctor said.

Amy peered into a room, where a nurse was bagging up the charred and cracked body of another person.

"What happened?" Sam asked.

"Guy got electrocuted."

"Any idea how?" Dean asked as the nurse wheeled the body away.

The doctor shrugged. "Eh, maybe a loose wire or a piece of equipment shorted out. So far, we haven't found anything."

Sam nodded. "Witnesses?"

The doctor nodded and pointed into the room. "Yeah, guy in there—Mr. Stanley."

Amy looked back into the room. An old man was sitting in a chair by the window. He looked visibly shaken up as he stared outside.

"He says he saw it, but he's not making a lick of sense." The doctor lowered his voice. "Senile."

Sam gave a half-forced smile. "Thanks."

The doctor walked away and the hunters entered the room.

"Um, Mr. Stanley?" Sam asked.

"It was just a joke," the old man insisted as he looked up at them. "I didn't know it would really work."

"What would work?"

Mr. Stanley started shaking as he held out a hand, palm facing up to reveal a joy buzzer. "All I did was shake his hand."

Sam and Dean exchanged a glance, then looked down at Amy, who was also confused.

"Do you think we could, uh, see that Mr. Stanley?" Amy asked.

The old man took the joy buzzer off his hand and practically threw it at Amy. "Here, take it. Just get that thing away from me."

Amy caught the buzzer, careful not to push the button on it.

Without another word, the Winchester's and Amy headed out of the room.

Once they were back in the hallway, Amy held up the joy buzzer and examined it. "There's no way this electrocuted the guy," she said. "It's just supposed to vibrate in your hand."

"We should test it out," Dean said.

"How are we gonna do that?" Sam asked.

Dean smirked. "I got an idea." He turned and headed towards the exit, leaving a confused Sam and Amy to follow him.

* * *

Dean stopped at a grocery store on the way back to the motel. He didn't let Sam or Amy see what he had bought as he placed the bag in the trunk, before getting back in the Impala.

A short while later, they were back at the motel. They changed out of their FBI uniforms and into more casual clothing, before gathering around the table.

Dean pulled out the bag from the store and reached inside, pulling out a large, uncooked ham.

"A ham?" Amy asked. "We're testing out something that might have electrocuted a guy and you got a ham to do that?"

Dean grinned. "Told you I had an idea." He pulled out the joy buzzer and slipped it onto his hand.

"Whoa whoa whoa," Sam said quickly. "If this does work the way we think it's going to, maybe we should be a bit more careful about this?"

Dean looked down at the potentially dangerous object in his hand, then down at the ham. "Yeah, you're probably right," he said. "I think I got some gloves and goggles in the Impala." He took the buzzer off his hand and set it on the table. "Be right back."

Amy leaned against the sink as Dean walked out of the motel room.

Sam started opening up cupboards around the kitchenette.

"What are you looking for?" Amy asked.

"Something to conduct the electricity so we don't burn this place down."

Amy opened the cupboard under the sink, directly behind her. Stuffed away in the back, were two aluminum-foil pans. She took them out and held them up to show Sam. "Will these work?"

Sam turned to face her. "Perfect." He took the pans and set them on the table, stacked together.

Amy picked up the ham and set it down in the pans.

At that moment, Dean came back into the room. He tossed something towards Sam and Amy each.

Amy caught what Dean had tossed to her. It was a pair of safety goggles with a dark visor to put over the eyes.

Dean put on his gloves and goggles, before putting the buzzer back on. He turned to Sam. "You ready?"

Sam nodded. "Hit it, Mr. Wizard."

Dean turned to Amy. She nodded as she held her goggles up to her eyes and took a step back. He turned back to the ham and held the buzzer over it for a second, before pressing it down.

Electricity began to crackle from the joy buzzer. Amy stared in shock as smoke rose from the ham and the uncooked meat began to darken.

Finally, Dean lifted his hand from the now blackened ham. He flipped up the visor on his goggles. "That'll do, pig."

"What the hell?" Sam asked in shock.

Amy lowered her goggles. "That isn't-" she began, struggling to find the words. "I mean-"

"That crap isn't supposed to work," Sam finished for her as Dean took off his goggles.

Dean held up the buzzer. "This thing doesn't even have batteries." He set the buzzer on the table and took off his gloves, setting them on the table as well.

"So...so, what?" Sam asked, gesturing to the ham. "Are—are we looking at cursed objects?"

"Sounds good." Dean pulled out a pocket knife and flipped it open. He cut off a piece and stuffed it into his mouth. "Maybe there's a powerful witch in town. Is there any link between the, uh, the joy buzzer and the itching powder?" Dean kept cutting pieces of ham off and eating them.

"Uh, one was made in China, the other Mexico, but they were both bought from the same store," Sam said.

Amy tore off a small piece of ham and tossed it into her mouth. It was surprisingly good.

Dean cut off another piece and offered it to Sam. When his brother declined, he ate it instead.

Sam shook his head. "We should head down to the store these were bought from," he said. "Find out if this guy is a powerful witch or something."

Dean ate another piece of ham. "Mmm. Okay, yeah." He turned and started looking around the kitchenette.

"We don't have a fridge, if that's what you're looking for," Amy pointed out.

"The ham will still be here when we get back, Dean," Sam added. "This probably won't take very long."

Dean nodded. "Aright, alright yeah." He closed up his knife and slipped it into his pocket, before picking the buzzer back up. "Let's go."

* * *

Dean drove them to the joke shop in town. He pushed open the glass door to the store and they headed inside. A bell chimed above their head and robotic, maniacal laughing could be heard somewhere in the building.

They walked down the aisles, looking at everything that was being sold.

"Sam!" Dean whispered.

Amy turned to see Dean holding a whoopee cushion, grinning.

A middle-aged looking man walked out of the back. "Welcome to the Conjurarium, sanctum of magic and mystery," he said in a monotone voice.

"You the owner?" Sam asked as he walked up to the counter.

"Yep." The man walked closer to them.

"You sold any itching powder or joy buzzers lately?" Dean asked.

The owner scoffed. "Yeah, a grand total of one of each. They aren't exactly big-ticket items." He seemed annoyed at this point. "Look, you guys here to buy something or what?"

Amy smirked as Dean held eye contact with the store owner and held up the whoopee cushion, before he handed the owner some cash.

"You get a lot of customers in here?" Amy asked as the owner took the money.

The owner shrugged. "Kids come in. They don't buy much, but they're more than happy to break stuff. These days, all they care about are their iPhones and those kissing-vampire movies. The whole thing makes me just—" he trailed off, a snarl on his face.

"Angry?" Dean guessed.

The owner paused for a moment, then nodded. "Yeah," he said decisively. "Yeah, I am angry. This shop has been my life for twenty years, and now it's wasting away to nothing."

"Which is why you hate them," Dean continued.

"I suppose."

Dean cast Sam a quick look. "You wish there was something you could do about it."

"Yeah, I guess I do," the owner agreed.

"So you're taking revenge," Dean said almost triumphantly. He took a rubber chicken off the display and slammed it down on the counter. "With this."

Dean held up the joy buzzer and pressed it down to the rubber chicken. Electricity began to crackle as the rubber chicken started to melt down.

"Oh! No!" The store owner jumped back with a yelp and cowered back against the wall in fear.

"Well that definitely didn't go as planned," Amy muttered.

"Something tells me this guy is not a powerful witch," Sam agreed.

"Sorry. Sorry," Dean said nervously. The three hunters quickly turned and ran out of the store.

"Well that didn't go as planned," Dean said, repeating what Amy had said in the store.

"Yeah, but when has it ever been easy for us?" Amy asked as she climbed into the Impala.

Sam and Dean climbed into the front seat and Dean took off driving down the road.

"So now what?" Amy asked, leaning across the front seat.

"Not much we can do for now," Dean told her. "We'll just have to wait for something else to happen."

"Hmm." Amy leaned back in her seat and propped her feet up next to her.

* * *

It was dark by the time Dean opened the door to the motel room and led them back inside. They had stopped for a bite to eat on the way back and Amy was just finishing up her leftover fries.

"Alright," she said as she tossed the empty bag in the trash, "I'm gonna take a shower and then head to bed."

"Already?" Dean asked. "It's barely nine."

"Yeah, I'm getting a bit tired." Amy grabbed her duffle bag. "Of course I might just end up scrolling through my phone until two in the morning, anyway so..." she trailed off with a shrug before heading into the bathroom and closing the door.

Amy quickly took a shower while playing music from her phone loud enough for her to hear. She put on a pair of sweatpants and a loose-fitting t-shirt to wear to bed, and braided her hair, before zipping her bag back up and turning off her music. She grabbed her phone and bag and headed back out to where Sam and Dean were.

"Was that your music you were playing in there?" Dean asked.

A slight hint of panic shot through Amy, having forgotten that Sam and Dean would have been able to hear her music from the bathroom. Her taste in music wasn't something she had ever shared with the Winchester's. "Uh, yeah," she admitted. "It was."

"Hmm." Dean said, leaving it at that.

Amy tossed her duffle bag on the floor in front of her bed and laid her head down on the pillow. She plugged her phone in and set it down on the table, before rolling over and trying to fall asleep.

* * *

**July 15th, 2009**

The next morning, Sam got a call about a few more admissions into the hospital.

The hunters quickly changed into their FBI uniforms and headed down to the hospital to find out what had happened.

"Doctor said there were three new patients admitted just this morning," Sam explained on the way. "Said he can't explain what happened to any of them."

"Well what did happen to them?" Dean asked.

Sam shrugged. "He said he doesn't know how to explain it. None of the patients are making sense."

Dean nodded as he pulled into the parking lot. "Alright, well, we'll figure out who got admitted and then figure it out from there."

The hunters got out of the Impala and headed inside the hospital. The doctor they had spoken to before was standing by the front desk. He waved them over as they approached.

"Thank God you guys are here."

"What's going on, doc?" Dean asked.

The doctor shrugged as he struggled to find the words. "You'll have to ask the patients, if you can make sense of anything their saying, that is. We've got one guy on this floor in room 115, a couple teenagers in room 212, and another guy in room 230. If you go to talk to that guy, I suggest bringing a notepad. Won't do you much good to go without one."

Sam nodded. "Okay, thanks doctor."

The hunters moved further away, until the doctor was out of earshot. Dean turned to them. "What do you say? You take the one down here and Amy and I will talk to the guys upstairs?"

"Uh, yeah, sounds good," Sam agreed. "I'll see you guys in a bit."

Sam headed down the hallway towards the room with the first guy while Dean and Amy headed towards the elevator.

"I'll talk to the teenagers," Dean said as they headed up to the second floor. "Why don't you figure out what's going on with that other guy."

Amy nodded. "Sounds good." The elevator opened and they stepped out into the hallway. "Meet you back down where Sam is when we're done?"

Dean nodded and they headed down the hall. He stopped at room 212, but Amy headed further down until she reached room 230.

Amy pulled out her badge and stepped inside the room, freezing almost instantly at what she saw.

Lying on the bed inside, was a middle aged man. His mouth was stretched out as far as it would go, farther than what seemed humanly possible. He was yelling out incoherent noises, unable to move his mouth.

Sitting next to him was a woman, who Amy assumed to be his wife, and two young children.

Amy stopped staring at the man and turned to the woman, as she pulled out her FBI badge. "Ma'am?" she asked.

The woman turned to her and Amy held up the badge. "Agent Jones, FBI." She indicated the man. "Could you, uh, tell me what happened here?"

"We warned him not to do it!" One of the kids, presumably the older one, cried out.

Amy turned to the kid in confusion. "Warned him not to do what?"

"Hold his face like that for too long!" the other kid said.

"Kids, not now," the woman said firmly. She turned to Amy. "I don't know what's going on with my husband right now, but you need to figure this out now!" she snapped. "Something made my husband's face freeze up like this and I need to know what."

"Uh, I'm not sure what it could be yet, ma'am," Amy told the woman. "But I assure you we will get to the bottom of this."

The door opened back up and a doctor walked in with a glass of water. She went up and offered it to the man, tilting his head back since he couldn't close his mouth. After the man was done, the doctor left the room.

Amy followed the doctor out. "Excuse me, doctor?" She asked. She held up her badge again. "Agent Jones. What can you tell me about the man in that room?"

The doctor shrugged. "Only bit of info we got about the guy was that he was playing with his kids, stretched out his face, and held it for too long. We're flying out a plastic surgeon to try and fix the problem, but until then there's not much we can do."

Amy frowned. Another lie parents told their kids. "Okay, thank you, doctor."

Now even more confused, Amy headed back down the hallway, towards room 212. She peered inside the room as she passed, to find Dean already gone.

Amy headed further down the hallway and pushed the button for the elevator. She stood in front of the doors while she waited for it to arrive. This week was getting weirder and weirder.

The doors to the elevator opened and Amy stepped inside, wondering what Dean had found out from the teens in the room he had gone to. She pushed the button for the first floor and the doors closed, and the elevator headed down.

It didn't take long to find Sam and Dean after she stepped off the elevator. Sam was standing in front of a room, holding a notepad and pen as he talked to Dean. His gaze fell on Amy and he waved her over.

"Hey, what'd you find out?" Dean asked.

"Well, the guy in room 230 currently has his face all stretched out, like-" Amy pulled out all sides of her mouth, stopping when it started to hurt, "-like that." She moved her mouth around, relaxing the muscles. "They're flying in a plastic surgeon. What about you guys?"

"I had a couple of kids with stomach ulcers who said they got them from mixing soda and Pop Rocks," Dean said. "And Sammy here got a guy missing all his teeth who claims the tooth fairy took them."

Amy nodded slowly. "Okay, then."

"Got any ideas?" Sam asked. "'Cause we got nothing."

Amy shook her head. "What have we got so far? Joy buzzers that electrocute you, the tooth-fairy, mixing Pop Rocks and soda will put you in the hospital, etcetera. That's all stuff kids believe."

"And now they're all coming true," Sam realized. "Okay, so whatever's doing this is—is reshaping reality. It has the powers of a god. Or—" he rolled his eyes. "-of a trickster."

Amy frowned. Was Gabe in this episode?

"Yeah, with the sense of humor of a nine-year-old," Dean added.

"Or you," Sam countered.

Amy snickered slightly as Dean looked shocked. Sam turned to leave and Amy followed next to Dean as they walked out of the hospital and back to the Impala.

"Can you drop me off at the library?" Sam asked as Dean pulled out of the parking lot. "I think I might know a way to narrow down where all this is coming from."

Dean nodded. "Sure thing."

"I'll go in with you, Sam," Amy offered.

* * *

Dean dropped Amy and Sam off at the library before heading off back to the motel.

Sam led Amy inside the library. He grabbed a map and set it on one of the tables before grabbing a red pen.

"Alright, let's see here," Sam said. He marked a spot on the map with the pen. "The tooth fairy was here." He made another mark. "Pop Rocks here."

Amy pointed to a spot on the map. "Face freeze was here."

Sam nodded. "Right." He made two more marks. "Itching powder and joy buzzer were here and here."

"Was that all of them?" Amy asked.

Sam nodded again. "I think so." He connected the marks with a circle. "That's about a two mile radius right there." He made another inside the circle. "And right there is our motel."

"So whatever is doing this is something inside this circle here," Amy realized. "Is there anything in the center there?"

"Looks like some farmland and a house." Sam drew a circle around the building. "That must be it." He folded up the map and stood up. "Let's get back to the motel."

Amy followed Sam out of the library and they began the walk back to the motel.

Ten minutes later, they arrived back at the motel. Sam pushed open the door and Amy saw Dean sitting at the table, eating a ham sandwich.

"Dude, seriously," Sam asked, "still with the ham?"

"We don't have a fridge," Dean argued through a mouthful of ham.

Amy stepped further inside as Sam closed the door and set the map on the table.

"Well, Amy and I found something."

Dean stood up as Sam pointed to the marks on the map.

"Um, tooth fairy attack was here," Sam said, "Pop Rocks and Coke was here, then you've got itching powder, face freeze, and joy buzzer—all located within a two-mile radius."

Dean nodded. "So, we got a blast zone of weird, and inside, fantasy becomes reality."

"Pretty much, yeah," Amy said.

"And what's the A-bomb at its center?" Dean asked.

"Four acres of farmland...and a house," Sam replied.

Dean shifted nervously. "Our motel isn't in that circle, by any chance?"

Sam frowned. "Yeah. Why?"

Dean chuckled nervously, before holding up his right hand to show that the palm was covered in hair.

Amy looked away and let out a long sigh.

"Ugh, dude," Sam began. He let out a sigh as well. "That's not what I think it is, is it?"

"I got bored. That nurse was hot," Dean said with a grin.

"You know you can go blind from that, too," Sam pointed out.

"Give me five minutes. We'll go check out that house." Dean walked around Sam and headed towards the bathroom.

"Hey, do not use my razor," Sam shouted after him.

Amy saw Dean smirk as the bathroom door shut behind him.

A few minutes later, Dean came back out of the bathroom, his palm now hair free. "Let's get going." He grabbed the keys and led them back out to the Impala.

Dean popped open the trunk for a moment, double checking that they had anything they might need, before the hunters climbed into the car and started the drive towards the house.

* * *

It only took about twenty minutes for them to reach a farmhouse. Dean hid Ruby's belt in his belt as Sam grabbed his lock-picking kit and they got out of the car.

Amy followed Sam and Dean up the wooden steps to the front door. Sam knelt down to pick the lock, only to immediately stand back up again when the door was pulled open from the inside.

A young boy, about ten or eleven, stood in the doorway. He had short brown hair and leaned on the doorframe as he spoke to the hunters. "Can I help you?" he asked.

"Hi," Sam said, smiling nervously. "Uh, what's your name?"

"Who wants to know?" the kid asked.

Amy shared a glance with Sam and Dean.

"The, uh..." Dean cleared his throat and pulled out his badge, showing it to the kid. "FBI."

Sam and Amy followed suit, showing the kid their badges.

The kid took Dean's badge from his hand. "Let me see that." He examined the badge, while Sam and Amy put theirs away, before handing it back. "So, what, you guys don't knock?"

Dean laughed nervously. "Are your parents home?"

"They work."

"Well, you mind if we ask you a few questions, maybe take a look around the house?" Sam asked.

"I don't know," the kid said with a shrug.

"Come on. You can trust us. We're the authorities." Dean held up his badge again.

The kid looked at it, clearly unimpressed. Be looked between the three hunters as he tried to decide whether to let them in. Amy smiled reassuringly at the kid. Finally, he sighed and held the door open for them. "Come on in."

Amy stepped over the threshold and into the house. The kid led them into the kitchen, where a pot of soup was boiling on the stove.

"What's that?" Sam asked as the kid turned off the stove.

The kid took the pot off the stove. "It's called soup. You heat it up and you eat it."

Sam chuckled slightly. "Right. I, I know. It's just, um...I used to make my own dinner, too, when I was a kid."

"Well, I'm not a kid," the kid stated.

"No, of course you're not," Amy said. She held out a hand. "I'm Abby, by the way."

Sam held out his hand as well. "Robert."

The kid set the pot on the table and shook their hands. "Jesse."

"Jesse," Sam said with a nod, "nice to meet you."

Dean stepped up to the table, holding a drawing of a bearded man with pink wings and a tutu. "Did you draw this?"

Jesse nodded. "It's the tooth fairy."

"That's the tooth fairy?" Amy asked.

"Yeah," Jesse said. "My dad told me about him."

Dean glanced over at Sam and Amy. "Huh."

Jesse looked around at the three of them. "What, didn't your dad tell you about the tooth fairy?"

"My dad?" Dean chuckled. "My dad told me different stories."

"Well, the tooth fairy isn't a story," Jesse said firmly.

Dean nodded. "What do you know about itching powder, Jesse?"

"That stuff will make you scratch your brains out."

Dean nodded again. "Pop Rocks and Coke?"

"You mix them, and you'll end up in the hospital." Jesse shrugged. "Everyone knows that."

Dean looked over at Sam, before pulling the joy buzzer out of his pocket.

Jesse took a step back, a hint of fear showing on his face. "You shouldn't have that."

"Why not?" Sam asked.

"It can electrocute you."

Dean looked down at the buzzer. "Actually, it can't," he said. "It's just a wind-up toy. It's totally harmless. Doesn't even have batteries."

"So it can't shock you?" Jesse asked nervously.

Dean shook his head. "Nope. Not at all. I swear."

Jesse stared at them for a moment, before nodding. "Oh. Okay."

"I mean, all it does is just shake in your hand," Dean continued. "It's kind of lame. See?"

Dean pressed the joy buzzer to Sam's chest. Amy gasped and indistinctly held out a hand as she waited for Sam to be electrocuted. Instead, the buzzer only buzzed on Sam's chest. The younger Winchester stiffened up and turned to Dean with a murderous look in his eyes.

Amy smiled with Jesse as Dean pocketed the now normal joy buzzer.

"What did you say your name was, again?" Dean asked.

"Jesse. Jesse Turner."

Dean nodded. "We'll get out of your hair now, Jesse."

The hunters hurried out of the house.

"Dude, what the hell?" Sam snapped once the front door had shut behind them.

Dean shrugged. "I had a hunch. I went with it"

"You risked Sam's life on a hunch?" Amy asked, still a little shaken.

"You're fine," Dean said. "Besides, now we know who's turning this town into Willy Wonka's worst nightmare."

"The kid." Sam stopped walking. Amy and Dean stopped next to him.

"Yeah. Everything Jesse believes comes true," Dean said. "He thinks the tooth fairy looks like Belushi, uh, joy buzzers really shock people, boom, that's what happens."

"I bet he doesn't even realize he's doing it," Amy said.

Sam nodded. "But convince him the joy buzzers don't actually work, and they go from killing machines back into crap toys," he continued.

Dean looked back at the house and waved. Amy looked over to see Jesse looking down at them from the second-floor window. "How is he doing it?" he asked through clenched teeth.

They turned and walked back to the Impala.

* * *

Dean drove them back to the motel.

"Hey," Sam said as they climbed back out of the car. Dean turned and Sam held out a hand. "Keys. I'm gonna go dig up what I can on Jesse."

Dean nodded. "Keep her safe." He tossed the keys to Sam and turned back to the motel, leading Amy back up to the room.

By the time they got back to the room, Sam and the Impala were already gone. Amy stepped inside after Dean and closed the door behind her.

"Know anything about this kid?" Dean asked.

Amy shook her head. "If you had asked me that a couple years ago, I would have been able to tell you a lot about him, probably."

"Yeah, well we didn't know about this kid a couple of years ago," Dean said in frustration. "Do you still remember anything from this show?"

"From the earlier seasons, no not really," Amy said. "But the later ones, that we haven't gotten to yet, I still remember a lot."

"Anything you can tell us?"

Amy shook her head again. "Nothing that wouldn't spoil something that I don't think you guys can know yet."

Dean nodded. "Hmm." He took off his jacket and set it on the back of the chair. "Sammy might be a while. Help yourself to some ham if you get hungry. Bread is above the sink."

"Cool," Amy said as she made her way to the kitchenette. "Thanks, Dean-o." She headed towards the sink and opened the cupboard above it, pulling out the sliced bread.

After making herself a ham sandwich, Amy sat down on the bed and flipped on the TV. She flipped through the channels, finally coming across something that looked slightly interesting.

Dean was already sitting on the other bed, flipping through a leather-bound book. He glanced up at what Amy had put on, before going back to the book.

* * *

A short while later, the door opened back up. Amy looked up from her movie to see Sam step into the room. She turned the TV off as he closed the door.

"So, dug up what I could on Jesse Turner," Sam said, leaning against the door. "It's not much. Uh, B student, won last year's Pinewood Derby. But get this. Jesse was adopted. His birth records are sealed."

Dean nodded slowly. "So you unsealed them, and?"

"There's no father listed, but Jesse's biological mom is named Julia Wright." Sam walked further into the room. "She lives in Elk Creek, on the other side of the state."

Dean closed his book and tossed it down on the bed. "Let's go talk to the biological mom, then."

Sam tossed Dean the keys back and they headed down to the Impala once more.

"You said Elk Creek?" Dean asked as he started the engine.

Sam nodded. "You sure you don't wanna leave tomorrow?"

Dean shook his head and pulled out of the parking lot. "If we leave now, we can make it by morning."

Sam nodded, leaving the conversation at that. Amy laid down across the backseat and put her earbuds in as she turned on her music.

* * *

**July 16th, 2009 - Elk Creek, Nebraska**

Amy fell asleep sometime on the way to Julia Wright's house. Dean woke her up early the next morning, when he parked the Impala across the street from a rundown house.

"Hey, we're here," Dean said as Amy sleepily sat up. "You wanna stay in the car or come in with us?"

"I'll come in with you guys," Amy said as she slid out of the car. She made sure she had her FBI badge and stuffed it into her pocket.

Dean nodded to Sam and led them up to a rusty, overgrown fence. A "No Trespassing" sign hung on the gate. He pushed it open and they walked up to the front door, which was locked with two deadbolts.

Amy double checked her badge as Dean rang the doorbell. A moment later, a woman's voice spoke through the closed door.

"Whatever you're selling, I'm not interested."

Dean glanced at Sam. "We're not salesmen," he called through the door as he pulled out his badge. "Agents Page, Plant, and Jones, FBI."

Amy held her badge up to the peephole along with Sam and Dean.

"Put your badge in the slot," the woman instructed. "Your partners', too."

Amy and Sam handed Dean their badges and Dean dropped them through the mail slot.

There was a brief pause, before the locks on the other side of the door could be heard unlocking. The door opened and a tired-looking woman stood in the doorway.

"What do you want?" Julia asked.

"Um..." Sam began as the hunters put away their badges. "We just had a few questions. About your son."

Julia frowned. "I don't have a son."

"He was born March twenty-ninth, nineteen ninety-eight, in Omaha."

Julia looked up with very little expression on her face.

"You put him up for adoption?" Sam continued.

Julia hesitated for a moment. "What about him?" she finally asked.

"We were just wondering, um, was it...was it a normal pregnancy?" Sam asked.

Julia didn't reply.

"Was there anything strange?" Dean continued.

The door suddenly slammed shut in their faces. "Stay away from me!" Julia screamed.

"Mrs. Wright, wait!" Dean pushed the door open and ran inside with Sam and Amy following.

They followed Julia into the kitchen. Julia closed the door but Dean shoved it back open. "We just want to talk!"

Julia backed into the counter and grabbed a canister of salt. She wrenched it open and tossed the contents towards the hunters.

Amy froze in the doorway as the salt hit her in the chest. She looked down in confusion, before turning her attention back to Julia, who had the same look of confusion on her face.

"You're not demons?" Julia asked.

"How do you know about demons?" Dean questioned.

Julia set the salt down and gripped the counter, shaking slightly as she took a deep breath.

"Jullia?" Amy asked carefully. "Were you possessed?"

Julia looked over at her. There was a brief pause, before she finally nodded.

Amy exchanged a glance with Sam and Dean.

Julia turned around, her back now to them. "Can you just give me a moment?" she asked.

Sam nodded. "Take all the time you need." He led Dean and Amy out of the kitchen and into the next room over.

Amy sat down at the dining room table with Sam and Dean across from her. "Well that explains... a lot," she began.

"Yeah." Sam put his elbows down on the table and ran a hand through his hair as he chuckled slightly. "It kinda does though. I mean, think about it. That might explain why Jesse is able to do all those things."

"'Cause he's part demon?" Dean asked.

Sam shrugged. "Maybe."

"Maybe we should let Julia tell us what happened," Amy said nodding towards the door, where Julia was approaching with a tea cup. She stood up from her seat and moved around the table to join Sam and Dean, letting Julia sit where she had been.

The hunters waited patiently as Julia took a long sip of her tea. She set the cup and saucer down, and crossed her arms. "I was possessed," Julia admitted. "A demon took control of my body, and I hurt people. I killed people."

"That, that wasn't you," Sam assured her. Amy nodded in agreement.

"But I was there," Julia said, her voice quivering. "I heard a woman beg for mercy. I...felt a young girl's blood drip down my hands."

"That's how you knew about the salt," Dean said understandingly.

Julia nodded. "Yeah, I picked up tricks. It was in my head for months."

"How many months?" Dean asked.

Julia's eyes darted up as she answered. "Nine."

Sam turned to Dean and Amy. "So your son..."

Julia nodded again. "Yeah, the whole time. The pregnancy, birth—all of it. I was possessed." She took a deep breath. "The night the baby was born, I was alone. And the pain was-the pain was overwhelming."

Julia continued her story as the hunters listened. Amy could see it in the woman's eyes that remembering what had happened was painful to her. "I, I screamed, and it came out a laugh, because the demon was happy. It used my body to give birth to a child."

Julia took another sip of her tea. "When it was over, something changed. Maybe the—the demon was tired or if the pain helped me fight it, but... Somehow, I took control. And the demon wailed inside me. It pounded against my skull. I thought my head was gonna explode. But I knew. I knew what I had to do. And when I was alone with the baby. A part of me-" Julia let out a long, shaky breath, "-part of me wanted to kill it. But, God help me, I couldn't do that. So, I put it up for adoption, and I ran."

"Who was the father?" Dean asked.

"I was a virgin."

Amy exchanged another glance with Sam and Dean.

"Have you seen my son? Is he human?" Julia asked hesitantly.

"His name is Jesse Turner," Amy said. "He's human. He lives in Alliance with his parents." She smiled. "He's a really good kid."

Julia nodded. She took another sip of her tea, finishing the drink.

"Well, we'll uh, we'll let you be Mrs. Wright," Sam said.

Julia nodded again. She didn't say anything as the hunters stood up and turned to the door.

"Who are you guys, really?"

Dean had his hand on the front doorknob when Julia asked her question. He turned back to face the woman. "Sorry?"

"Who are you guys?" Julia asked. "'Cause you're obviously not FBI."

Dean looked around at Sam and Amy as he took a step into the room. "No, uh, my name is Dean Winchester." He gestured to Sam and Amy. "This is my brother, Sam. And our adoptive sister, Amy Jones. We hunt demons."

"You-you hunt them?" Julia asked.

"Yeah," Dean confirmed. "Exorcise them, send them back to Hell, kill them if we can."

"We won't let anything happen to Jesse, though," Amy spoke up. "He may be half-demon, but like I said, he's a good kid."

Julia didn't say anything. Instead, she turned and left the room once more.

Dean opened the front door and led Sam and Amy back outside.

"So, now what?" Sam asked.

"We need help," Dean said as they turned towards the Impala.

"Cas?" Amy asked.

Dean nodded. "I think he's our best bet right now." They reached the car and climbed in. "Maybe he can tell us how to help the kid."

"Can you get in touch with him?"

"Yeah, I think so," Dean said as he started driving down the road. "Whether he gets the message or not will be another story."

* * *

**Alliance, Nebraska**

They got back to the motel later that evening. Dean had made Sam text Cas on the way there, but so far they hadn't heard anything back. Although, Amy wasn't entirely sure Cas knew what texting was or how to do it.

"Do you think Cas got our message?" Amy asked as they got out of the Impala.

Dean shrugged as he began leading them up to the motel room. "Sammy, you hear anything back?"

"No," came the reply. "Dean, do you really think we want his help with this? I mean, you heard Julia. The kid is half demon."

"What other option do we have?" Dean asked. "We have no idea what to do with the kid."

They reached the room and Sam unlocked the door. As soon as he turned on the light, Amy could see Cas standing by the window on the other side of the room.

"I take it you got our message," Sam said. He sat down at the table as Dean closed the door and Amy leaned against the counter.

"It's lucky you found the boy," Cas said.

"Oh, yeah, real lucky." Dean dropped the car keys on the counter. "What do we do with him?"

"Kill him," Cas said seriously.

Amy paused in the middle of pulling the hair-tie out of her hair. "I'm sorry, what?"

Sam froze as well in the middle of loosening his tie and turned to look at Dean, who stared back at the angel.

"Cas," Dean began.

"This child is half demon and half human, but it's far more powerful than either," Cas continued. "Other cultures call this hybrid cambion or katako. You know him as the antichrist."

Cas sat down at the table. As he did, loud farting noises could be heard. Amy sighed in frustration as she remembered the whoopee cushion Dean had bought earlier.

The noises continued as Cas shifted position. "That wasn't me," he finally said as he pulled the whoopee cushion out from the seat and dropped it on the table.

"Who put that there?" Dean asked, trying to keep a straight face.

Sam rolled his eyes. "Anyway, I don't get it. Jesse is the devil's son?"

Cas sighed. "No, of course not. Your Bible gets more wrong than it does right. The antichrist is not Lucifer's child. It's just demon spawn. But it is one of the devil's greatest weapons in the war against heaven."

"Well, if Jesse's a demonic howitzer, then what the hell's he doing in Nebraska?" Dean asked.

"The demons lost him," Cas explained. "They can't find him. But they're looking."

"And they lost him because?" Dean questioned.

"Because of the child's power. It hides him from both angels and demons. For now."

"So he's got, like, a force field around him. Well, that's great," Dean said with a smile. "Problem solved."

Cas leaned forward in his seat. "With Lucifer risen, this child grows strong. Soon, he will do more than just make a few toys come to life—something that will draw the demons to him," he explained. "The demons will find this child. Lucifer will twist this boy to his purpose. And then, with a word, this child will destroy the Host of Heaven."

"Dude, he's just a kid," Amy spoke up, her voice rising. "Even if he is half demon, we can't just kill him. He doesn't even know what he's doing."

"If Lucifer gets his hands on this child, all of heaven could be destroyed," Cas said angrily. "We cannot allow that to happen."

There was a long pause as everyone processed what Cas had just told them.

"Wait." Sam stood up, getting between Dean and the table. "We're the good guys. We—we don't just—kill children."

Cas stood up as well "A year ago, you would have done whatever it took to win this war," he growled.

"Things change," Sam said through bared teeth.

Dean stepped forward and put a hand on his brother's arm, getting between Sam and the angel. "Okay. Hey, look, we are not going to kill him. All right? But we can't leave Jesse here either. We know that. So...we take him to Bobby's. He'll know what to do."

"You'll kidnap him?" Cas asked. "What is going on in this town, it's what happens when this thing is happy. You cannot imagine what it will do if it's angry. Besides, how will you hold him? With a thought, he could be halfway around the world."

Amy stepped forward. "This "thing"," she said, spitting out the word angrily, "is a child who was adopted and raised by two human parents. And who the hell said anything about kidnapping? We're not just gonna sneak into his house at night and take him in his sleep."

"Exactly," Sam said. "We'll tell him the truth. You say Jesse's destined to go dark side—fine. But he hasn't yet. So if we lay it all out for him—what he is, the apocalypse, everything—he might make the right choice."

There was another long pause as Cas stared up at Sam.

"You didn't," the angel finally said. "And I can't take that chance."

Sam glared as Cas. The angel vanished and Sam let out a frustrated sigh. "Damn it."

Dean grabbed the car keys. "Come on, we gotta hurry."

They ran as fast as they could back to the Impala. Amy barely had time to shut her door before Dean was speeding back out of the parking lot.

* * *

They reached Jesse's house just after dark.

Dean didn't even turn off the car as they quickly got out and ran up to the front door. He kicked the door in and they ran inside.

Backed into a corner in the living room, was Jesse. He looked up at them, breathing heavily with a look of fear on his face.

"Was there a guy here?" Dean asked. "In a trench coat?"

Jesse slowly pointed to the floor. Amy looked down to see what appeared to be an action figure wearing Cas's suit and trench coat, holding a silver knife in the air.

Dean knelt down and picked the Cas action figure up. He looked back between Sam and Amy, then turned to Jesse.

"Jesse, can we talk with you?" Amy asked.

Jesse nodded. He still had a look of fear on his face and his bottom lip was quivering slightly. Amy walked over to him. She gently put a hand on his shoulder and led him over to the couch.

Dean stood up and walked over to the fireplace mantelpiece. He set the Cas figure down on it as Sam sat in the chair next to the couch. Amy sat on the couch next to Jesse

"Was he your friend?" Jesse asked.

Dean turned to face Jesse. "Him?" He pointed back at Cas and shook his head. "No."

"I did that," Jesse said. His gaze didn't leave the mantel. "But how did I do that?"

Dean thought for a moment, before holding out his hands. "You're a superhero."

Jesse's face lit up. "I am?" he asked eagerly.

"Yeah." Dean nodded. "Yeah. I mean, who else could turn someone into a toy?" He took a step forward. "You're Superman—minus the cape and the go-go boots."

Amy could see Jesse's face fall for a moment. Dean knelt down in front of him. "See, my—my partners and I, we work for a secret government agency," he continued. "That's our job to find kids with special powers. In fact, we're here to take you to a hidden base in South Dakota, where you'll be trained to fight evil."

"Like the X-Men?" Jesse asked, his face lighting up again.

"Exactly like the X-Men." Dean chuckled and stood back up. "In fact, the, uh, guy we're taking you to—he's even in a wheelchair. You'll be a hero. You'll save lives. You'll get the girl. Sounds like fun, right?"

Before Jesse could answer, Dean was flung into the wall across the room. Out of the corner of her eye, Amy saw Jesse jump in fear. She spun around to see Julia walk into the house. Instantly, Amy knew a demon was possessing the woman.

"They're lying to you," the demon said coolly as she stepped further into the house.

Sam and Amy quickly stood up. The demon waved a hand and they were flung into the wall with Dean. All three of them were pinned to the wall by an invisible force.

"Stay right there, dreamboat," the demon told Sam. "Can't hurt you. Orders." She turned to Dean and Amy. "You two, on the other hand? Hurting you's encouraged."

The demon flicked her wrist and Amy and Dean were both slammed into the opposite wall, then back again.

Amy felt pain shoot through her right arm. She didn't think it was broken, but knew it would at least bruise.

"Leave them alone!" Jesse cried out.

The demon smiled. She knelt down in front of Jesse. "Jesse. You're beautiful," she said sweetly. "You have your father's eyes."

"Who are you?" Jesse asked.

"I'm your mother."

Jesse shook his head. "No, you're not."

"She's your birth mother, Jesse," Amy elaborated. "But don't listen to her! She's not-"

Amy was suddenly cut off as the demon held up a hand and began to choke her. She clawed frantically at her throat, trying to pry the invisible force closing her throat away.

"Stop it!" Jesse yelled again. "Don't hurt her!"

Amy suddenly found herself able to breathe again. She took several breaths as the demon turned back to Jesse.

"You're half human...half one of us," the demon said.

"She means demons, Jesse!" Dean shouted.

The demon stood up again and held out a clenched fist. Dean began to groan in pain and the demon knelt back down. "Those people you call your parents—they lied to you, too." She shook her head. "You're not theirs—not really."

"Yes they are, Jesse!" Amy said. "They are your real parents. They may have adopted you, but that means they chose you. Your parents wanted to raise you as their own kid and that's exactly what you are to them!"

"My mom and dad love me," Jesse said quietly.

The demon tilted her head. "Do they? Is—is that why they leave you alone all day? Because they love you so much?" She asked angrily. "These people—these imposters—they told you that the tooth fairy was real and that your toys could hurt you and a hundred other things that aren't true. They love you so much, they made your whole life a lie."

The demon paused as Jesse looked down sadly. "Look into your heart, Jesse," she continued. "You've always known you weren't theirs. You've always known you were different. Everyone has lied to you." She turned her head towards the hunters. "They're not FBI agents. And you're not a superhero."

"Then what am I?" Jesse asked.

"You're powerful." The demon smiled. "You can have anything you want. You can do anything you want."

Amy saw a small smile start to creep onto Jesse's face. Dean must have noticed it as well. "Don't listen to her, Jesse!" he shouted through the pain.

The demon held up a hand again and Dean groaned even louder. She turned back to Jesse. "They treated you like a child. Nobody trusted you. Everybody's lied to you. Doesn't that make you angry?"

Jesse clenched his fist and the room began to rattle. The demon looked up in joy as the fire in the fireplace flared up and the lights began to flicker.

"See?" The demon asked. "It does make you angry. But I'm telling you the truth, Jesse."

Various items in the room began to shatter as the room shook more violently.

"Wouldn't it be better if there were no lies?" The demon asked. "Come with me and you can wash it all clean. Start over. Imagine that—a world without lies."

"She's right," Sam said, speaking for the first time. "We lied to you." The demon turned to look at him, her eyes pitch black. "But I'll tell you the truth."

The demon raised a fist again and Amy heard something crunch.

Sam grunted as he spoke through the pressure on his throat. "I just want...to tell..."

"Stop it," Jesse snapped at the demon. Sam dropped to the floor, gasping for breath. "I want to hear what he has to say."

"You're stronger than I thought," the demon said, impressed.

Sam stood up, leaning on the wall for support. "We lied to you," he admitted. "And I'm sorry. So here's the truth. I'm Sam Winchester." He pointed up at Dean and Amy. "That's my brother, Dean and our sister Amy Jones. W-we hunt monsters."

"Except when you are the monster," the demon interjected. "Right, Sammy?"

Sam ignored her. "And that woman right there," he said, pointing to the demon, "her name is Julia. She's your mother. But the thing inside of her, the thing that you're talking to—it's a demon."

"A demon?" Jesse asked.

"He's done nothing but lie to you since the moment you met him," the demon snarled. "Don't listen to him. Punish him."

Jesse turned to the demon. "Sit down and shut up," he ordered.

Amy watched as a chair scooted up behind the demon, forcing it to sit down. The demon struggled in the chair, unable to speak, and even Amy had to admit she was a little impressed.

"There's, uh, kind of a...a war between angels and demons, and...you're a part of it," Sam told Jesse.

"I'm just a kid," Jesse said, a hint of fear in his voice.

Sam sighed. "You can go with her if you want. I can't stop you. No one can. But if you do...millions of people will die."

"She said I was half demon. Is that true?" Jesse asked.

Sam nodded. "Yes. But you're half human, too. You can do the right thing. You've got choices, Jesse. But if you make the wrong ones, it'll haunt you for the rest of your life."

Jesse sniffled. "Why are you telling me this?!" he cried out. A tear began to roll down his cheek.

"Because I have to believe someone can make the right choice, even if I couldn't."

Jesse thought for a moment. Finally, he turned to the demon. "Get out of her," he ordered.

The chair holding the demon flew back into the wall. Black smoke poured out of Julia's mouth and disappeared up the chimney. Julia slumped forward, unconscious. Dean and Amy both fell to the floor.

"How did you do that?" Dean asked, panting heavily.

Jesse shrugged. "I just did."

Dean smiled. "Kid...you're awesome." He leaned back against the wall, grunting in pain.

Jesse frowned. He turned to Julia. "Is she gonna be alright?"

Dean looked over at Julia as well. "Eventually," he said. He leaned down and picked the Cas action figure up from the ground. "Look, uh, truth is, he's kind of a buddy of mine," he said, turning to Jesse. "Is there any way you could turn him back?"

"He tried to kill me," Jesse said forcefully.

Dean nodded. "Right. Uh. But he's a—he's a good guy. He was just confused." He chuckled nervously.

Jesse didn't reply.

"Okay. It's been a long night. We'll...talk about it later." Dean put the figure back on the mantel.

"What now?" Jesse asked.

Dean looked back at Sam and Amy. He turned back to Jesse. "Now we take you someplace safe, get you trained up. You'd be handy in a fight, kid."

"What if I don't want to fight?"

"Jesse." Sam stepped forward and sat down in front of Jesse. "You're powerful. More powerful than...pretty much anything we've ever seen. That makes you—"

"A freak," Jesse finished.

"To some people, maybe," Sam admitted. "But not to us. See, we're kind of freaks ourselves."

"Yeah," Dean said. "I mean, Amy there-" Amy stepped forward at her name, joining the others. "She's sort of a superhero as well."

"You are?" Jesse asked Amy, his face lighting up eagerly for a brief moment.

Amy nodded. "I am, yeah."

Jesse frowned again. "I can't stay here, can I?" he asked Dean.

"No. The demons know where you are, and more will be coming," Dean told the boy.

"I won't go without my mom and dad," Jesse determined.

Sam nodded. "There's nothing more important than family. We get that. And if you really want to take them with you, we'll back your play. But you got to understand—it's gonna be dangerous for them, too."

"What do you mean?" Jesse asked.

"Our dad...he would take us with him wherever he went," Dean explained.

"Where is he now?"

"Dead," Sam said. "A demon killed him."

"Look, Jesse...once you're in this fight..." Dean leaned down towards Jesse. "You're in it till the end, win or lose."

"What should I do?" Jesse asked, looking between the hunters.

Amy knelt down. "That has to be your choice, Jesse."

"It's not fair. I know," Sam acknowledged.

"Can I go see my parents?" Jesse asked. "I, I need to...say goodbye."

Dean nodded. "Sure."

Jesse walked out of the room and up the stairs. Amy straightened back up again as she watched Jesse disappear.

"You almost sounded angry when you were talking to Jesse about his parents," Dean said, turning to Amy as he straightened up as well.

Amy shrugged. "I was more angry at the demon telling Jesse those weren't his real parents." She sighed. "Look, until I met you guys, I never exactly had a family of my own. I mean sure, there were the girls I lived with at the foster home, but most of them were only there for a short while before they got adopted, and a few of them absolutely hated me."

"But you still lived with them," Sam said.

Amy nodded. "Yeah. But sometimes that's all it was. Most of the girls, when they left, we hardly ever heard from them again. Even if we were really close in the home, once they left with their parents or parent, that would be it. Honestly, I consider you guys and Bobby to be more of a family to me." She smiled slightly. "And apparently you do too. I mean, you told Julia and Jesse I was your sister."

"Come on, Ames, of course you're our family," Dean said. "And you are like a little sister to us."

Amy smiled. Sam picked the Cas figure up to examine it before setting it back down with very little care.

Dean looked up towards the ceiling, frowning. "He's been up there a long time," he told the other two.

"Should we go check on him?" Amy asked, looking towards the ceiling as well.

Dean nodded. "Something might be wrong." He hurried out of the living room and up the stairs as Sam and Amy followed.

Dean pushed open the door to Jesse's bedroom, only to find it empty.

"He's gone."

Amy turned to find Cas back to normal, standing behind her. "What do you mean 'he's gone'?" she asked.

"I don't know," Cas admitted. "Jesse put everyone in town back to normal—the ones still alive. Then he vanished."

"Hey," Sam said. He walked into the bedroom and picked up a note on Jesse's bed.

"What does it say?" Dean asked.

Sam opened the note. "That he had to leave to keep his parents safe, that he loves them, and he's sorry," he read.

Dean turned to Cas. "How do we find him?"

"With the boy's powers, we can't. Not unless he wants to be found." With that, the angel was gone.

Amy sighed. "Damn it," she whispered.

"We should get out of here," Dean said. "Come on."

Sam set the note on the bed and they left the room, closing the door to Jesse's room behind them.

* * *

No one said anything as they got back in the Impala and drove away from the house. It wasn't until they were almost back to the motel, that Dean finally broke the silence.

"You think Jesse's gonna be okay?"

Sam took a deep breath. "I hope so."

There was a long pause. "You know, we destroyed that kid's life by telling him the truth," Dean finally said.

"We didn't have a choice, Dean."

"Yeah." There was another pause before Dean continued. "You know, I'm starting to get why parents lie to their kids. You want them to believe that the worst thing out there is mixing Pop Rocks and Coke—protect them from the real evil. You want them going to bed feeling safe. If that means lying to them, so be it. The more I think about it...the more I wish Dad had lied to us."

Sam sighed. "Yeah, me too."

Amy stayed silent, not knowing how to respond. They pulled into the parking lot of the motel and headed up to the room.

"Get some sleep," Dean said as he unlocked the door, "we're leaving early in the morning."

Amy kicked off her shoes and collapsed onto bed. After a long day, she was exhausted and within a few minutes, she was sound asleep.

* * *

**July 17th, 2009**

Amy woke up early the next morning. Messy hair fell into her face as she sat up on the edge of the bed.

"Morning, sleepyhead," Dean joked.

Amy let out a tired groan as she stood up.

"Sam went out to check us out of the room," Dean told her. "Get packed up. We're leaving as soon as he gets back."

Amy nodded, finally standing up. She grabbed her duffle bag and set it on her bed, opening it up. "Do you think Jesse's gonna be okay?" she asked. "I mean, wherever he is?"

Dean nodded. "Yeah, I'm sure he'll be fine. He's a strong kid."

The door opened up and Sam entered. "Alright, we're all set," he said.

Dean nodded. He turned to Amy. "Ready to go?"

Amy zipped up her bag and put the strap over her shoulder. "Ready."

"Then let's roll."

Dean led them down to the Impala and they tossed their bags in the trunk. Amy slid into her usual seat in the back and leaned against the window as Dean drove out of the lot.

If Amy was being honest, she had really hoped they could have been able to convince Jesse to go with them. He seemed like a nice kid. Although she was glad he hadn't gone with the demon, she still hoped he would be safe, wherever he was.


	39. Hotel California

* * *

**Hey guys! Real quick before you read this chapter: this chapter is set during Fallen, a couple months after the last chapter and before the Curious Case of Dean Winchester. However, if you notice the slight change up in writing style, I actually did not write this chapter. A very good friend of mine did. She's been working on this chapter for a while and at first I was going to post it as a oneshot, but after failing to come up with an idea for an original chapter, we got the idea to post this as a chapter to Fallen instead. I understand if it's not your cup of tea but if you do happen to like it, I highly recommend checking out the author: KaylaBignall on Wattpad. She's currently working on two Supernatural fics over there.**

* * *

- **The Mojave Desert, One week ago -**

The clouds hung heavy as the man drove along the highway, stretches of sand and darkness on either side of him as he drove. A cool breeze blew through his blond hair as he drove, carrying the scent of desert flowers with it. In the distance, he saw the flicker of light, and yawned, hoping it was a motel where he could stop for the night. His eyelids drooped as he got closer, seeing that he was correct, it was a small hotel planted in the middle of the Mojave Desert.

As he pulled in, he saw the silhouette of a woman in the doorway and could've sworn the mission bell at the top of the old building rang three times. As he handed over his keys to the valet, he couldn't decide if this was a good decision or not. As he approached the door the woman lit a candle, "Right this way, sir."

He followed, swearing that he heard voices swirling down the halls.

"Welcome to Hotel California. It's really a lovely place."

"Yes, such a lovely place."

"There's plenty of room."

"Any time. It'll be here."

The woman looked over her shoulder, her face seeming to glitch, and the man paused, but she led him to his room, "I'll be in the courtyard."

He set his bag down, and rang to the front desk, "Could I get some wine?"

"We haven't had wine since 1969, sir."

He hung up, laying down, and looked up at the mirrored ceilings. The room seemed to spin, images of champagne flashing through the glass. He heard the voices continue, whispering about a beast. Stumbling towards the doors, he grabbed his bag, and was stopped by the night guard.

"Ready to check out?"

A grin flashed through the man's vision and he collapsed.

**\- A Motel, Present day -**

Dean walked in, a case of beer in his hand, and sat down next to Amy and his brother at the small table.

"You two find anything Apocalypse-y while I was out?"

Sam shook his head, "No, but I think I found us a case in the meantime."

Amy perked up, looking over from her own laptop to where Sam sat.

He spun the laptop around, showing Dean a "missing" page.

Any shrugged, "What a missing businessman? He probably ran off with a mistress."

Sam shook his head, "No, he was headed to a big-time business conference, never made it. His last known location, from his cell tracker, was a stretch of highway in the Mojave desert, a week ago. And get this, he isn't the first person to vanish there."

He spun the laptop back around, typing a few words, "I did some digging, since 1977, over 100 people have vanished, there's been three this year alone. Every year, same stretch of highway, always the week of February 22nd. That's not just a random businessman, Dean."

Dean leaned forward, "Yeah, that's definitely something. You said it's in the Mojave? That's a good 20-hour drive, we better get going."

The three stood, gathering their things, and headed out to the Impala.

* * *

The Impala roared down the road as Dean drove, Sam holding a map and John's journal in the passenger seat. Dean looked over, "So what exactly are we looking for? Some kind of spirit? A ghoul maybe? They like deserts."

Amy leaned over the seat, looking at the journal in Sam's hands.

"Wouldn't the kills happen all year if it were a spirit or a ghoul? They don't usually confine themselves to one week, right?"

Sam nodded, "Yeah, it's definitely something else."

Dean glanced over, "Nothing in Dad's journal either?"

Sam shook his head and Dean sighed, "Ok, so maybe a deity of some kind? Followers snatch lonely travelers and offer them up as a sacrifice?"

Amy nodded, "That would explain the annual cycle."

The two brothers shrugged, and Amy sat back.

"Well, you two figure that out, I'm gonna try to sleep, since we left at the ass-crack of dawn."

Dean laughed as she glared at him as she disappeared behind the seats. Amy closed her eyes, the rocking of the car lulling her to sleep.

* * *

"I'm telling you Dean, it's strange! We haven't seen Cas in weeks, or even heard from him, nothing is popping up about any demonic or angelic activity, it's too quiet."

Dean sighed, "So it's a quiet week, doesn't mean something awful. God forbid the angels and demons aren't fighting over who can kill us first for once."

"Dean, that's not what I meant."

Amy sat up, rubbing her eyes, "You two are loud. How much further?"

Dean looked over at the map in Sam's lap, "A few more hours, should be close by nightfall."

"Cool, you two figure out what we're looking for yet?"

Sam shook his head, "The information is too general. There is tons of lore on monsters and mythical beings that only feed once a year. We'll have to look into it more when we get there."

Amy nodded, pulling a sandwich out of the cooler on the floor.

"Sounds like a plan."

* * *

A few hours later, the sun had vanished beyond the horizon and the stars were covering the sky. They had left the last town behind fifty miles earlier, and the lack of light made for a beautiful night sky.

Amy looked out the window, "Woah, I've never seen that many stars."

Dean smiled, "Roll down the window, you can see them even better."

She did so, leaning on the window edge as a cool night wind danced through her ponytail.

"It's gorgeous."

"Guys, look." Amy leaned back into the car, looking where Sam was pointing, and saw a flickering light in the distance.

She stifled a yawn, "What is it?"

Dean shrugged, "Dunno, but I hope it's a motel, man, I'm beat all of a sudden."

He sped up, and they watched as the light grew closer, revealing itself to be exactly that, a small hotel off the highway.

Dean pulled off the exit, and turned into the empty parking lot, "Yes, heavenly beds."

Amy couldn't help but notice a growing pit in her stomach, "Guys maybe this isn't the best idea."

Sam shook his head, "It's fine, it's just a hotel."

The two got out of the car, grabbing their bags, and Amy followed, grumbling, "Yeah, a creepy hotel in the middle of nowhere, right where 107 people have all vanished. But yeah, totally fine."

She rolled her eyes as they headed in, then her jaw dropped open.

The place was exquisite. The floors were gorgeous white tile, chandeliers hanging from the shiny mirrored ceilings, and workers hustling around in pristine white uniforms. The faint tolling of the bell outside almost beckoned her to turn and see if it had really looked like an old mission turned hotel, but she couldn't quite muster the energy.

As strange as the hotel was, she was exhausted. And a bed would be nice.

She followed Sam and Dean to the front desk, where he asked how much a room would be for the night.

"Oh, no charge. Since this is an old mission, we thought it improper to charge weary travellers for a night's stay. We simply accept donations to help keep the place running."

Dean nodded, "Awesome." He pulled out a couple $20 bills and put them on the desk.

"Thank you, how generous. Our owner will be pleased. Here is your key."

He took it with a small smile, and the three headed to the room. When they found it, they opened the door to reveal three large beds, and a beautiful room.

"Nice. Why don't we stay in places like this more often?" Amy mumbled the question as she dropped her bag by one of the beds, and then collapsed on it.

Dean did the same, Sam as well, and they both let out small groans of agreement.

Before Amy could respond, all three fell asleep.

* * *

Amy woke up to the sound of soft voices.

"Such a lovely place"

"And such a lovely face."

The voice danced in her ears and she sat bolt upright, looking around the room. It was dark, still the middle of the night, and the boys slept in the other two beds, Dean snoring softly.

"Such a nice surprise."

"...their alibis?"

She turned, looking around as the voices continued their whispers.

"Who's there?"

She slid out of the bed, holding out a hand as she stood. From her bag, a silver knife flew into her hand and she gripped the hilt, looking around the room.

"We're all just prisoners here."

"And of our own device."

She lowered the knife a bit, "Prisoners? What do you mean?"

"...master's chamber….beast"

"Beast? Is something keeping you here?"

The voices silenced, and a small breeze blew through the room. Her hair stood on end, the breeze carrying one last whisper.

"Slave."

The breeze blew towards the closed door and from the hallway a slamming door echoed.

Dean and Sam bolted out of bed, both holding their pistols, and they scanned the room.

Dean's eyes landed on Amy, and the knife in her hand.

"What happened?"

She looked from the door to the two men, "I-I'm not sure."

Dean lowered his gun, "What do you mean you're not sure?"

She sat on the edge of the bed, "There were these voices, they were saying something about alibis, and being prisoners of their own device? And something about a beast? I don't know."

Dean straightened, "What? What were their exact words?"

Amy frowned, "There were lots of voices, but they said, 'such a lovely place and such a lovely face.' They also said 'Such a nice surprise,' and something about alibis. When I asked who they were they said, they were "all just prisoners here, of our own device.' Why do you ask?"

Dean sat down, "Holy crap…"

Sam looked over at his brother, confused, "Dean, what?"

Dean looked over, "Dude, it's Hotel California."

Sam frowned, "The Eagles song?" He paused a moment, "Holy crap."

"Hello? What's Hotel California?" Amy looked between the brothers, confused.

Dean looked over, "You don't know Hotel California?"

She shook her head, "Beyond the fact that it's an old song, no. Never heard it."

Dean's mouth opened and closed a few times, and he murmured, "Sammy give me your laptop, we need to fix this."

Sam reached for his bag, but Amy cleared her throat, "Uh, bigger problems here? Prisoners? Creepy voice calling me its slave?"

Dean took the laptop from Sam, "This counts as research, kid. If I'm right, the song probably tells us something."

He opened it and typed a few things before clicking the touchpad, and guitar music came out of the speakers.

Amy leaned forward, listening.

* * *

The song faded from the speakers and Amy looked over at Dean, "That..actually sounded just like what the voices said. But it doesn't tell us what we're looking for. And if we really can't leave…"

Dean nodded, "Well the song says the beast is in the master's chambers, so wherever that is, we need to find it. Amy, you said a voice called you its slave?"

She nodded, "That wasn't part of the song though, I don't understand."

Sam, who now had the laptop, looked up. "You two should go check it out, I'll stay here, do some research, try to figure out what we're up against."

Amy nodded, grabbing her bag off the floor. "I'll go get dressed."

She headed to the bathroom, getting dressed quickly. Heading back into the room, she heard Dean talking to Sam.

"I mean, what, you're telling me Don Henley was some kind of psychic or something? C'mon!"

Sam shrugged, "That's the only thing that makes sense, Dean. I mean, the way the vanishings started the same year that the song was released, and every year that same week. C'mon, the guy said himself that they did some serious drugs back in the day. And some drugs do enhance psychic ability or open the mind up to psychic channels."

Dean shook his head, "It's frickin weird man, I'm living in one of my favorite songs, hunting the monster it talks about."

Amy tossed her bag onto the bed, "Well, I'm living in my favorite tv show, so how crazy is it really?"

She laughed and grabbed her pistol, tucking it into her waist band as she headed to the door.

"C'mon, let's go see if we can find anything."

Dean stood, patting his brother on the shoulder, "Have fun researching."

Sam laughed, "Right, have fun searching the halls of Hotel California."

The two left the room, looking down the long hallway. As they shut the door behind them, the voices started again.

"Help us!"

"Save us!"

"He's a monster!"

"..just wanted to help!"

"Save me!"

"Let me go!"

Amy growled, putting her hands over her ears, "Shut up!"

Dean looked over, "Are you ok?"

She looked up, "Don't you hear them?"

He shrugged, "Kinda, but they're faint. Like a whisper."

Amy frowned, "Well to me, it sounds like screaming."

Dean looked around the hall, "Spirits, man. They're a pain in the ass. Is there any way for you to block them out?"

She shrugged, "For a time, yeah. Maybe it's just in the hallway that they're louder, they weren't this loud in there."

Dean nodded, "Well, let's move quickly then."

They made their way down the hall, looking for any sign of another person, when they came to a large glass door that opened to a courtyard.

"Wow, that's beautiful."

Dean nodded, his eyes fixated on the woman slowly dancing in the middle of the path. As she turned towards them, her face glitched out, twisting as her spirit moved, and more spirits appeared in the courtyard, all male.

"Dean, it's the courtyard from the song. Remember, she dances in the courtyard with the men?"

He nodded, not looking away, and Amy rolled her eyes, grabbing his arm, and pulled him away from the window, "You're useless, you know that?"

Dean blinked, "What?"

"I said, 'you're useless.' Getting hypnotized or whatever by that spirit. C'mon, we gotta go."

He shook his head a bit, clearing the fog, and nodded, "Yeah, we gotta find the lobby. Maybe they have a map or something."

They wandered through the hall, arriving back at the well-lit lobby. As they walked in, Amy nudged Dean, gesturing to the night doorman.

"Isn't that the businessman that went missing?"

Dean nodded, "I'm gonna try something."

He headed over to the door, Amy trailing, and the doorman stopped them, his eyes an erie white.

"I'm sorry, the doors are locked."

Dean put on a frustrated face, "Man, c'mon, I left my sister's bag in the car, can we just run out and get it?"

He shook his head, "Sorry, you can not leave."

Dean groaned, and tried to push past him, but was shoved away from the door, "You may check out when you are finished with your stay."

Dean turned away, grabbing Amy as they headed towards the other hall, "Definitely something up, let's check out this other hall, then head back to Sam."

They headed into the hall, and Amy winced as the voices started to filter through, her block starting to fade.

"Dean, they're louder over here. We're definitely close to the beast, or whatever."

He nodded, "They're louder for me too, but still not that loud. C'mon, we'll move quick."

They quickly checked a few doors, then Amy's gaze landed on the door at the end of the hall as a light flickered on.

"Dean, look."

The hall ended at an ornate brass door, the light near it flickering as they watched.

"Well, we know where the master's chamber is. Let's go back to our room, maybe Sammy found something." Dean headed back the way they came, Amy following, her hands pressing against her ears.

"LET US OUT!"

"STOP HIM!"

"PRISONERS!"

"HE'S COMING!"

"Dean, slow down."

He turned, seeing her with her hands over her ears, "Ames, you good?"

She nodded, "They're scared, before they weren't scared."

"SLAVES!"

A cold wind blew down the hallway, carrying the deep voice with it, dimming every light as it passed.

Amy looked at Dean, and he nodded, "We gotta go."

They ran back down the hall to the lobby, and bolted to the opposite hall, racing past the now dim courtyard, and into their room.

Sam looked up as they slammed the door behind them, "What?"

Dean let out a small laugh, "Well, the hotel is full of screaming ghosts and we definitely found the master's chamber. Tell me you have some idea what this thing is."

Sam nodded, turning the computer towards them, "It's a Devalpa. They're like, the djinn's second cousin or something, from Islamic lore. The traditional myths say it disguises itself as an old man needing help, luring travellers into offering it a ride on their back. Once they offer their help, it grows tentacles and entraps them, giving them two options. Become a slave, or die. Now there wasn't any old man but an old mission hotel accepting only donations from travellers and then them becoming trapped? Yeah, it fits the bill."

Dean nodded, "Well, great, how do you kill it."

Sam shook his head, "I don't know yet."

Amy nodded, "Awesome, you got any aspirin in that bag? Surprisingly, a hundred screaming spirits gives me a headache."

Dean tossed her a bottle, and Sam frowned, "You're the only one who can hear them?"

Dean shook his head, "No, I heard them too, but not as loud. Her...powers or whatever, they act like a spirit antenna."

Sam winced, "Well, try to get some rest maybe? It's one a.m., we can make a plan in the morning, figure out our next step. Tomorrow I'll figure out how to kill this thing."

Amy nodded, falling onto the bed, and was soon asleep.

* * *

The next morning they awoke to a knock at the door.

Amy and Sam slid out of their beds, both grabbing a weapon as Dean cracked the door.

Opening it fully, he revealed the same woman they had seen in the courtyard the night before.

"Hello, you have been invited to dine in our master's chambers this evening, seven p.m.

Dean glanced back into the room, and Sam shrugged.

Dean turned back to the spirit, "Thank you very much, we'll be there."

She nodded, "I shall come collect you at that time. Your breakfast will be here shortly."

Dean closed the door, turning back to the other two, "Well, I say we eat breakfast and then figure out what the plan is. Clearly tonight's gonna be our only shot."

Another knock sounded at the door and this time Amy opened it, revealing a man holding a set of trays, "Your breakfast, sirs and ma'am. Enjoy."

She looked back at the boys, both of them shrugging, and she turned back, taking the two trays.

"Thank you, sir."

He nodded and turned away, leaving Amy to kick the door shut. Turning to the boys she held the two trays, "Chow time I guess. I don't know what they brought us."

Dean stood from the small couch where he had sat and walked over, taking one of the trays.

They both opened them, revealing three plates total.

"I've got eggs and bacon, and a messed up omelette over here. Dean, what do you got?"

Dean held up his tray, "French toast with bacon. You said you have eggs?"

Amy nodded, "Yeah, trade me! I want the French toast."

He nodded, happily swapping the trays, "Sammy, looks like they got your egg white omelette, your favorite."

Sam looked up, "Cool!"

Dean took it over to him, setting it next to him, then returned to his place on the couch, grabbing the fork and digging in.

Amy took a seat on the floor, taking a bite of the French toast. "Mmm this is amazing! Just like I used to make back at the orphanage."

Sam absently took a bite of his own breakfast, clicking his laptop, and then he stopped.

"I gob id!"

Dean and Amy looked over, "What?"

Sam swallowed, "I said 'I got it.' I know how to kill it."

Dean lifted his eyebrows, "Well sharing is caring Sammy."

Amy smiled a bit, and Sam let out a sarcastic laugh.

"Hilarious, Dean. In the original mythology, it was killed by Sinbad. He got it drunk on wine and then bashed its head in. So I'm thinking, this dinner tonight, we get it drunk, bash in its skull."

Dean nodded, "Yeah but remember the song? 'We haven't had that spirit here since 1969.' I'm guessing they don't keep wine on the premises. Its only weakness, why would it keep it around?"

Amy frowned, "Well what then?"

Sam reached over into his duffel bag and pulled out a fifth of whiskey, "Maybe this'll do."

Dean nodded, "A little thank-you gift for our tentacley friend."

Amy smiled, "Sounds like a plan."

She turned back to her plate, digging back into the food in front of her. Across the room, Dean did the same. Sam closed his laptop and got up, moving to sit on the couch next to Dean.

"Man I'm almost bummed we have to destroy this place. The food is amazing." Dean took another bite of his food and closed his eyes, letting out a small sigh, "Why are we doing it again?"

Amy laughed, "Well it's that or eternal servitude. Is good bacon worth that?"

Dean opened one eye, glaring down at her, "Right. That part. Well can we at least get some of the food to go?"

Amy rolled her eyes, and stood, heading over to the phone in the room. She dialed the front desk and waited, "Hi, could we get a second plate of bacon?...Thank you." She put the phone back and turned to Dean, "It'll be up in ten minutes. And it's going in _your_ bag."

They all laughed, and Dean acted hurt for a moment, before taking another big bite of his eggs.

They finished their food, taking another break when the same man as before knocked, delivering a heaping plate of bacon, much to Dean's joy.

He dumped it in a baggie and placed it in his duffel, smiling like a little kid.

"Awesome."

Sam rolled his eyes, grimacing, and shook his head at his brother while Amy laughed. Once they finished eating, the three of them looked around the room.

"So any ideas of what would be heavy enough to hit this thing with to kill it?" Dean looked at a few items, looking over at Sam and Amy for an answer.

Amy shrugged, "I don't really see anything that we could carry in with us."

Sam nodded, "Maybe there will be something in the room that we can use."

Dean fell backwards on the bed, crossing his arms, "Maybe. I'm taking a nap. We don't even have to do any fake FBI crap. This is great."

He closed his eyes and Amy looked over at Sam, cocking an eyebrow, and he shrugged.

Amy suddenly got an idea, and rushed over to the desk, rummaging through the drawer. Dean groaned, looking over, and she pulled out a map of the hotel.

"C'mon c'mon...yes!" She looked over at Sam, "They have a pool. Wanna go? We have all day until dinner. Just because we're trapped here doesn't mean we can't enjoy it."

He thought about it, "I dunno…"

Dean sat up, "Did you say pool? Like swimming?"

Amy nodded, and Dean grinned, "Oh hell yes, I'm in. C'mon Sammy."

Sam looked at his brother. "Do we even have swimsuits?"

Dean beamed, "I always have them, just in case."

Amy nodded, "And I got one a while ago. You were out researching and me and Dean wanted to swim."

Sam tried not to, but he cracked a smile, "Fine. Go get changed Amy."

"Yes!" She pumped her fist, then spun around, grabbing her bag, and rushed into the bathroom.

* * *

Amy cracked the door to the pool area and turned back to Sam and Dean, grinning, and mouthed " _it's empty."_ She pulled the door open, and raced in.

"Last one in the water is a fallen angel!"

She rushed to the far edge of the pool, laughing as she ran, and Dean suddenly rushed past her, jumping in the water. She let out a shriek as the water sprayed over her, and then jumped in after him.

As they came back up, they saw Sam jumping in finally, a few feet away.

He surfaced, pushing his long hair out of his face, and laughed, "Okay, yes, this was a good idea. Good call, Ames."

She nodded, "Mmhmm, swimming is always a good idea."

Dean smirked, then pushed the younger woman's head under the water.

She pushed away from him, surfacing next to him, and splashed him with a huge wave, using her abilities to move the water and force him under.

Sam laughed, and Amy turned and sent some water his way too, leaving his hair covering his face.

"I like the new look, Sammy."

Dean chuckled from behind Amy, and started swimming around, "Man we should do this more often, this relaxing shit is nice."

* * *

Dean rubbed a towel over his hair, drying it, and laughed as he tossed it on the bed, dressed again.

Amy, her hair pulled up in a wet braid, came out of the bathroom, "That was awesome!"

Sam nodded, looking over from where he sat, scrolling through her computer. "So, any new chlorine fueled ideas about what to use to kill this thing?"

Amy shrugged, "Not really? I say we just give it the whiskey, let it drink itself silly, and then find something to bash its head with. Then hopefully this place will go back to what it was before this, and those souls will be set free."

Dean nodded, "How long until dinner? Do you think we'll need to dress nice?"

Sam shrugged, "The creepy undead doorman didn't say to, so I'll go with no. And it's in about a half hour."

With that, he shut his laptop, "Let's gear up."

* * *

A knock on the door sounded, and Amy glanced at the boys, who were finishing tucking away their pistols, and then opened it.

"Hello, I have come to escort you to your meal with our master. He is eager awaiting your presence."

Amy gave the white-eyed man a smile, "Thank you, we are looking forward to it as well."

She stepped out the door, Sam and Dean close behind, and she winced as the voices sounded again.

"DON'T!"

"It's a trap, it isn't safe!"

"Don't trust them!"

Amy almost moved her hand to her head, but Dean grabbed her arm, giving a slight shake of his head, gesturing towards their guide.

She nodded, simply pressing her lips together and doing her best to block out the sounds of the souls.

As the guide led them back to the room they'd found the night before, The voices grew quieter, as if they were being pushed away.

"Here we are, through this door here."

He gestured to the ornate double doors at the end of the hallway. "Enjoy your meal, Winchesters."

Dean gave Sam and Amy a 'creepy!' look as the guide walked away.

"Well, guess we better go in."

Dean grabbed the door handle, and Amy could practically hear the intense music that would be playing were this an actual episode.

He took a deep breath, then pulled.

It didn't move.

He pulled a few times, rattling the door, until Sam sighed and reached over, pushing the door open.

"Oh. Well, that's stupid why have handles if it's a push? That's not my fault."

Amy laughed softly as they entered the room, and her gaze settled on an elderly man sat at the end of a long table, in a wheelchair.

He looked up as they entered, "Ah, the Winchesters. Welcome, come, sit."

They moved cautiously to the table, and Dean held up the fifth of whiskey in his hand.

"We, Uh, brought this, to say thanks for the dinner and everything."

Amy watched as the Devulpa's eyes widened in glee, and she smiled, this would be easy.

"Here, let me get you a glass, sir." She grabbed a goblet off the table, also checking the weight in her hand, and poured him a generous glass of whiskey.

The man took it happily, taking a large drink.

"Sit, sit, enjoy the food. I think you'll find it will make your stay much more enjoyable."

Amy glanced at Sam and Dean, and slowly took a seat at the table, taking some food but not eating any.

The Devalpa didn't seem to notice, as it stuffed food and whiskey into its mouth gleefully.

Soon enough it's eyes began to get that unfocused look of someone who's drank far more than they ought, and Amy stood, "So, tell me sir, why can no one leave your hotel?"

He looked in her direction, an evil smirk growing on his face, "For they are my slaves of course. Trapped here, by me."

Dean scoffed, "An old man like you? Trap somebody, I don't think so."

Suddenly a large tentacle shot out and wrapped around Dean's throat, and Amy saw the color draining from his eyes.

"You tell me that again after you're trapped in servitude, hunter."

Amy glanced at Sam and quickly grabbed the heavy goblet she'd weighed out earlier, and rushed towards the Devalpa. It turned its drunken gaze towards her, and suddenly a cacophony of voices echoed in her mind, all screaming for freedom.

She let out a small yelp, and fell to her knees.

"Amy!" She could hear Sam running towards her, but a tentacle began to close around her own throat, and light began to fill her vision, clouding everything with white.

"Hey!"

Sam's yell must've grabbed its attention, because the light paused, and then the grip on her neck started to loosen again, and she could see slightly.

Sam has given the beast another glass of whiskey.

She groaned, reaching for the knife on her belt, and stabbed it into the slimy appendage around her neck, causing it to let go and drop her to her knees.

"That was steel, you tentacled freak."

It hissed, turning towards her, and it lunged, but it was too drunk to grab her. She looked over to Dean, and saw the grip on him loosening as well.

"Sam, the goblets!"

He nodded, grabbing one from the table next to the Devalpa, and swung as hard as he could at the beast's head, and blood sprayed when he made contact.

The tentacle released Dean, dropping him to the floor where he gasped for air, his eyes regaining their color, and Amy rushed over with her own goblet, ready to help Sam.

It was unneeded. Sam swung the goblet twice more at the things head, and on the last swing, the head finally blew open, blood and brains spraying on Sam and Amy.

"Gross, thanks Sam."

Suddenly the room around them began changing, the lights and colors fading, the food vanishing, and within a minute, all that was left was a crumbling stone wall, an old table, and Dean's fifth of whiskey, half empty.

Amy looked over to where the monster's body was, but it was also gone. She smiled as she heard the souls rushing away.

"Thank you!"

"Freedom!"

"Thank you!"

Sam rushed over to Dean, "Dean, Dean?"

The older hunter groaned, "Ugh, what? What? I'm fine!"

He stood, brushing off his brother's helping hand, "Thanks for that, though."

Amy nodded, "Let's get our bags and get out of here, yeah?"

They nodded, and made their way through the stone archways back to the 'room' that had once been theirs.

"Man, I'm almost sad we had to destroy this place. It was friggin nice!"

Amy laughed, "Dean, evil monster enslaving souls. Plus, you still got your bacon!"

His face lit up, and he grabbed his bag, pulling out the ziplock. His face fell when he saw that it was now empty, "Son of a bitch."

Amy and Sam laughed, "Cmon, bacon boy, let's get out of here."

Dean nodded, frowning as he shoved the empty baggie into his duffle, and the three headed towards the entrance.

At the door, a few people were waiting. One was the businessman that had gone missing, standing talking into his cellphone.

Another was a young woman, the former check in lady, and she turned to the three hunters as they came in.

"You did it! You freed us!" Her once white eyes now glimmered a dark brown, happy and alive.

Sam frowned, "You're not dead?"

She shook her head, red hair glinting in the setting sunlight, "No, we were alive, under the entrapment. Most of the slaves, they had long since died, but they all started out alive too. But now, now we're all free! Thank you!"

The woman threw her arms around Dean, who happily returned the affection, smirking, and Sam rolled his eyes.

Amy leaned towards Sam, "So, do we tell her that Dean didn't even do anything?"

Sam shook his head, "Nah, let him get his girl." He coughed, "Dean, Uh, we'll be in the car."

Dean nodded, waving them away as he smiled down at the petite redhead hanging in his arms, smiling at him.

"Yeah, I'll be out in a bit."

Amy rolled her eyes as they walked out of the old stone mission, and the two headed towards the Impala.

"We taking bets on time or…"

Sam laughed, "No, here he comes."

Sure enough, Dean was strolling out, a little more swagger in his hips, and he smiled as he reached the car, "You know, this job? It does have its perks."

Amy laughed, "Right. Let's just get away from this place, okay Romeo?"

Dean nodded, "Sure thing. I tell you what though," he started the car, pulling away from the stone ruins now left behind them, "I'm never going to be able to hear that song the same way again."

As he pulled away, familiar guitar strains played over the radio, " _On a dark desert highway…"_


	40. The Curious Case of Dean Winchester

**November 10th, 2009 - Sioux Falls, South Dakota**

Amy was dressed in one of her disguises as she followed Sam and Dean into yet another hospital. They had gotten word from Bobby about a dead body in the area. Apparently it was the way the man had died that made Bobby call them.

They walked down the linoleum hallway and into the morgue. A middle-aged, female doctor sat at a metal table in the center of the room. She spun her chair around to face them as they approached. "Can I help you?" she asked.

Without a word, the hunters pulled out their CDC badges and held them up. 

The doctor looked at the badges in disbelief. "You expect me to believe you're CDC?" she asked disapprovingly.

Amy glanced at her badge. These usually worked pretty well.

"Excuse me?" Sam asked.

"It's just that you're a day early," the doctor said with a scoff. "First time in history I haven't sat on my ass waiting for you people."

Dean smiled. "New administration. A change you can believe in."

The doctor frowned. "Right." She stood up and walked over to the freezers. 

Amy watched as the doctor opened a freezer on the bottom row and pulled out the slab. Inside was the body of an elderly man, who appeared to be around eighty-something.

"Meet Xavier," the doctor told them. "Date of birth, April third, nineteen eighty-four."

"I'm sorry," Amy said, "but did you say he was born in eighty-four?" That would have made this man twenty-five years old, at most. 

The doctor nodded. "I know. I ran the DNA twice. That's definitely him."

"Well, he wasn't big on the sunscreen, huh?" Dean asked jokingly.

"So, what's your theory?" Sam asked the doctor.

"All I know is, decedent's male, twenty-five years old and he died of old age." The doctor gave them a small shrug before walking away. 

Amy watched the doctor leave, before glancing down at the body. "There's no way this guy is twenty-five, right?"

Dean pulled out his phone. "I'm gonna call Bobby. He's the one who sent us out here. Maybe he has an idea of what's going on."

They walked out of the morgue as Dean put the phone to his ear.

"You were right about this one," Dean said after a moment. "It's definitely a job." There was a brief pause as they continued walking down the hallway. "Just the one body." Another pause. "Couple missing persons, but usual for a town this size. You think they're connected?" 

Dean listened to Bobby speak. "You got it. And, by the way, how you doing?" he asked. He paused again. "Yeah. You know, just...in general?" There was one more pause before Dean let out an annoyed sigh and closed his phone. 

"Bobby's doing great," he said sarcastically with a roll of his eyes. "He says 'hi'."

"Anything else?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, he thinks we should look into the missing persons reports. Thinks they might be connected to the stiffs."

Sam nodded as they walked outside the hospital. "Who should we check out first?"

"Cliff Whitlow," Dean said. "He was the last guy to go missing."

Sam nodded again. "Alright." They slid into the Impala. "Report says Cliff is seventy-five years old. He lives with his wife here in Sioux Falls and got reported missing a few days ago."

"By his wife?" Amy asked. 

Sam nodded. "She says he went out a few days ago and didn't come home."

Dean pulled out of the hospital parking lot. "Let's go see what she knows."

* * *

It was a short drive down to the Whitlow residence.

Dean knocked on the door. A short while later, an old woman opened it up.

"Mrs. Whitlow?" Sam asked. 

The woman nodded. "Yes."

The hunters held up their FBI badges. 

"We need to ask you a few questions about your husband," Sam said.

The woman nodded, her expression turning sorrowful. "Come on in, agents." She stepped to the side and opened the door wider.

Amy followed Sam and Dean into the house. The old woman led them into a living room. Sam sat down in the arm chair, across from Mrs. Whitlow. Dean sat on an ottoman and picked up a framed photo of an old man, who Amy assumed to be Cliff. Amy stood between Sam and Dean as Mrs. Whitlow sat on the couch.

"That's the most recent," Mrs. Whitlow said, pointing to the picture Dean was holding.

Dean handed the photo to Sam and Amy leaned forward to get a good look. 

The photo was of Cliff. He was holding a golf club and a trophy and had a USMC tattoo on his right arm. Cursive writing on the picture read: 'Miami Palms June 2009.'

"How long has he been missing?" Sam asked.

"Oh, I knew right away when he didn't come home Tuesday night," Mrs. Whitlow said.

"Is there someplace he likes to go after work, maybe?" Dean asked. "A favorite bar?"

Mrs. Whitlow let out a laugh. "No. Tuesdays, he always works a bit late, but he always comes straight home."

"May I use your facilities, ma'am?" Dean asked.

Mrs. Whitlow nodded and pointed towards the stairs behind her. "It's just upstairs."

Dean stood and left the room. He headed up the stairs and disappeared on the second floor.

"Is there anything you can think of that might help us find your husband, ma'am?" Amy asked as she sat down on the now-vacant ottoman.

"Well..." Mrs. Whitlow leaned forward, apparently thinking of anything that could be useful. "He has a very distinctive birthmark," she finally said.

"That's great," Sam said with a nod. "Where is it?"

"It's on his-" Mrs. Whitlow looked around. "-you-know-where."

Sam shifted in his seat. "Oh." He cleared his throat. "Uh, okay, then. Anything else?"

Dean came back down the stairs. He nodded towards Sam.

"Uh, you know what?" Sam asked. "I think we've actually got everything we need."

Amy stood up with Sam. "Thank you for your time, Mrs. Whitlow," she said.

"Well call if we have any more questions," Sam said. He closed up his notepad and the hunters headed out of the house.

Once the front door had shut behind them, Dean pulled a receipt out of this pocket. "Found this in Cliff's robes," he said. "It's for a room at the hotel down the street." 

"Think Cliff is there?" Sam asked.

Dean shrugged. "Only way to find out is to go there. Did you two find out anything." 

"Mrs. Whitlow said her husband had a birthmark on his uh...” Sam trailed off and looked over at Amy.

“His dick,” Amy said with a stone-faced expression. “He has a birthmark on his dick.”

Sam and Dean didn’t say anything. They exchanged a glance and Amy shrugged. “What? Sammy wasn’t gonna say it. Someone had to.”

Dean cleared his throat. “Right,” he said, “well, uh, we should probably head down to the hotel on this receipt. See if Cliff is there.”

Sam nodded. “Or at the very least, a clue as to where he is.”

They got into the Impala. Dean started the engine and pulled away from the house.

* * *

They reached Madame Liu's Golden Palace in a couple of short minutes. Amy double- checked her badge before following Sam and Dean inside. They walked past the front desk and down a hallway to the right. 

“Well, at least he's consistent,” Sam said as they approached room forty-four. “Same room every Tuesday, hourly rates.”

“Hope I got that kind of kick when I'm his age.”

Sam scoffed. “Yeah, like either of us will live that long.”

“True,” Dean said with a small nod.

Amy stopped with Sam and Dean in front of room forty-four. There was a pink heart around the number. “Think he’s really in there?”

“Well, either he is, or a wrinkly, gooey corpse is,” Dean said. 

Asian music could be heard through the door as Sam pulled out his lockpick kit.

“Oh, God! Oh, God! Oh! Oh, God!” Screams could suddenly be heard from inside the room.

Sam and Dean exchanced a quick glance before slamming the door open. 

Amy rushed in behind them, only to be met with two hands quickly covering her eyes. “What the hell?” she asked.

“Hey! What the—” a man’s voice asked. Amy pushed Sam and Dean’s hands away from her eyes to see a young, brown-haired man in bed with a woman. 

“Oh,” Sam said uncomfortably as Amy averted her eyes from the scene in front of them.

“God,” Dean finished. 

Another woman came out from under the covers and both women fled from the bed. 

Sam shifted on the spot. “It's gooey.”

“Sorry,” Dean told the man as the two woman ran towards the bathroom. “Uh, got the wrong room.”

“Close the door!” the man snapped.

Dean and Amy turned and headed back into the hallway. Sam started to follow behind but stopped, turning back to the room.

“Hey.” Sam scoffed. “Nice tattoo.” He stepped back into the room and made his way over to the dresser. “Happen to know anybody named Cliff Whitlow?”

The man shook his head. “Never heard of him.”

Sam pulled an ID card out of a wallet. “Well, that's weird. 'Cause you're carrying his wallet,” he said pointedly.

Amy followed Dean back into the room as the older Winchester walked over to the bed and yanked the covers up.

“Huh,” Dean said as he dropped the sheet back down. “Your wife told us about your, uh, birthmark there. That's nice. Well, you look great. Cliff. Did you get some work done?”

Amy smirked as Cliff shook his head. The man turned his head towards the two women, who were peeking out from the bathroom.

“Could you give us some privacy?”

The women looked at eachother, then hurried out of the bathroom and each grabbed a robe draped over a chair. Cliff sat up, and grabbed a robe sitting next to the bed. He wrapped it around himself as he stood up and grabbed his wallet.

Cliff walked to the door and handed one of the women some money. Dean winked at the women as they left the room, then turned back to glare at Cliff.

“Alright, start talking,” Amy demanded as soon as the door was closed.

“Please don't tell my wife,” Cliff said quickly.

“Slow down,” Dean said.

“I'm begging you,” Cliff continued. “As far as she knows, I'm dead. For the love of God, let's keep it that way.”

“How can you possibly be Cliff Whitlow?” Dean asked.

“I can't tell you,” Cliff said with a slight stammer.

Amy folded her arms. “Try us.”

“Yeah, cause, either you tell us or we tell the missus,” Dean added.

Cliff held up his hands in defense. “Okay! Okay! It was a game.”

Sam frowned. “Like...XBox?”

Cliff frowned back. “What's XBox? No. Poker. High stakes. Instead of cash, you play for years.”

“What is that supposed to mean?” Dean asked.

Cliff sighed. “Look, I know it sounds crazy. Guy comes up to me at a bar, invites me to play. Gives me twenty-five of these weirdo poker chips, right? Chants some mumbo humbo over them, says now they're twenty-five years. I'm laughing, but then I come out up.” He gestured at himself. “And look at me.”

“What was he chanting?” Sam asked.

Cliff let out a laugh. “How should I know? All I know is, my bad hip's good, I threw away my glasses. One of those ladies was here for free! Man's some kind of miracle worker.”

“What did this guy look like?” Amy asked.

Cliff shrugged. “Just a guy. Maybe thirty-five, brown hair. Irish accent. His name was Patrick.”

Dean nodded. “All right, all right. Where's this game at?”

Cliff shrugged. “He said he likes to keep moving. Never stays in one bar long. And he finds you.”

Dean sighed as he turned to Sam, then back to Cliff. “Thank you, Cliff.” He led Sam and Amy to the door, before turning back to the other man. “Oh, and, uh...stay classy.”

The hunters left the room and closed the door behind them.

“Okay, what the hell?” Amy asked as they began walking down the hallway.

“What the hell is right,” Dean said in agreement. He pulled out his phone. “I’m gonna call Bobby. See if he might be able to help with this.” He dialed the old hunter’s number and put the phone to his ear.

“Bobby, hey,” Dean said into his phone. “How you doing?” There was a pause and he rolled his eyes. “We found Cliff Whitlow. You know, that old guy?” There was another pause and Dean scoffed. “Yeah, well, he’s not so old anymore.”

They entered the lobby as Dean continued. “Turns out there’s this Irish guy, probably a witch. Cliff said he played a poker game at a bar where the chips were worth years instead of cash.” They walked outside and headed down the sidewalk. “It sounds crazy, right?” There was a long pause. “Well, that would explain the crunchy corpse.” Another pause. “There's a lot of dives in this town. We're gonna have to split up.” There was a final pause. Dean turned his phone to look at the speaker, before slipping it into his pocket.

Amy put her hands in the pocket of her hoodie. “What’d Bobby say?” 

“Says this might not be as crazy as we think,” Dean said as the hunters reached the Impala and got in. “Turns out there’s lore on this sort of thing.”

Sam scoffed. “Great. He know where this guy is?”

Dean shook his head. “Looks like we’re gonna have to split up, search as many bars in this town as we can.”

“How many bars are even in this town?” Amy asked.

“A lot,” came the reply, “which is why we’ll have to split up. I’ll drop Sammy off in one area, you in another, while I go to the last part of town.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, you wanna send her off alone?” Sam asked.

Dean shrugged. “She’s already been on one case alone,” he looked in the rearview mirror. “Right, Amy?” 

Amy nodded. “Right.”

Dean gave a small nod and turned back to Sam. “Besides, it’ll go faster if the three of us split up.” He finally started the engine and pulled away from the hotel. “I’ll drop you off at a bar a few miles from here, Ames. There should be some bars up around the next few blocks around that you can check out. Sammy, I’ll drop you off in another area a few miles away from there, and I’ll check out the last area.”

“Sounds good,” Amy agreed.

“Alright. Just call if you find out anything.”

* * *

A short while later, Dean pulled up in front of a bar. Amy made sure she had everything before getting out of the Impala.

As soon as the back door was closed, Dean drove off. Amy turned to the building. Giant, neon lights reading ‘Jimmy’s Bar’ sat above the door, each letter lighting up one at a time before the entire sign blinked a few times and the entire process began again. Taking a deep breath, she pushed open the door and stepped inside.

The inside of the bar was dimly lit. Heads turned to look at Amy as she stood by the entrance, debating whether or not she wanted to call Dean to come back and get her. Pushing her nervousness aside, she walked towards the bar at the other end of the room and sat down on a stool.

A bartender walked up to her. “Can’t have anyone under twenty-one in here, kid,” he said.

Amy shook her head. “I’m not a minor,” she said. “I’m twenty-one. I just look young.”

The bartender studied her for a moment and Amy hoped he would buy her story.

“Let’s see some ID.”

Amy pulled out her wallet and her fake driver’s license, listing her current age as twenty-one years old. She handed it to the bartender. 

The bartender looked at it for a moment, before handing it back. “Alright, then. First time in a bar alone?”

Amy nodded. “I’m actually looking for someone. You haven’t seen a guy in here recently, uh, probably about thirty-fiveish, brown hair, with an Irish accent? His name is Patrick?”

The bartender shook his head. “Haven’t seen anyone like that in here recently.”

Amy frowned as she slid down from the barstool. “Okay, thank you.” Without another word, she turned and hurried out of the bar. 

* * *

Amy spent the next half hour going from bar to bar, asking if anyone had seen anyone matching a description of the witch. Eventually, Dean called.

“Hey, Dean,” Amy said as she answered her phone. “You find anything?”

“No, not yet,” Dean replied. “Sammy hasn’t either. Any luck on your end?”

Amy shook her head, knowing full well that Dean couldn’t see her. “Nothing here either. Should I keep asking around?”

“Yeah,” Dean said. “Ask around for as long as you can. If this guy was here, someone must have seen him. Sammy’s buying dinner tonight, so when you’re finished, head on back to the motel.”

“Alright. Talk to you later, Dean.”

Amy heard a faint click as Dean snapped his phone shut on the other line. She pocketed her phone and looked back down the sidewalk. She only had a few bars left to search and it was starting to get dark out, which meant she should probably hurry along.

* * *

Amy searched as many bars as she could, before it finally started to get darker outside. Giving up on her search, she began the walk back to the motel. 

It was about a three-mile walk back to the motel. Almost an hour of walking later, she finally arrived. She headed up to the motel room, unsure of whether or not Sam or Dean were back yet, or if they had found anything.

Unlocking the door, Amy stepped inside to find an old man wearing a bathrobe, sitting on the bed.

“Who the hell are you?” Amy demanded, reaching for her gun.

The old man stood up. “Calm down, Ames,” he said. “It’s me.”

Amy frowned. Something about this man seemed familiar. “Dean?” she asked cautiously.

The old man held out his hands. “In the flesh.”

“What the hell happened to you?” Amy asked as she stepped closer. Dean appeared to be in his late-seventies or early-eighties. Wrinkles covered his face and his brown hair had turned gray and gotten a lot shorter. He didn’t look like the same, young Dean that Amy had seen earlier that day, but something about his mannerisms reminded her of the man.

“Found the witch,” Dean said bluntly.

“And you just decided to play a game of poker against him?”

“Hey, I can play poker!” Dean said defensively. 

“Says the guy who very clearly lost the game,” Amy said as she looked Dean up and down again.

Dean sat back down. “Hey, I only played because Bobby lost twenty-five years in a game he played.”

“Wait, Bobby’s here?” Amy asked at the sound of the older hunter’s name.

Dean nodded. “He found the witch before I did.”

Amy nodded slowly. “And, uh, how many years did you lose?”

“Fifty.”

“Fifty?!” Amy repeated in shock. “How the hell did you lose fifty years of your life?” she looked around the room. “And where’s Bobby?”

“He’ll be back soon,” Dean said. “And Sam’s grabbing dinner.”

Amy sat on the other bed. “Great.” She sighed. “Then maybe we can figure out how to make you thirty years old again.”

Dean stood back up. “I gotta use the bathroom.” He paused. “Again. God I hate being old.”

Amy shook her head as Dean disappeared into the other room.

The door opened back up a few minutes later and Sam entered the motel room. He was carrying a tray with hamburgers and three drinks. “Hey, Dean? You find anything?” he asked as he set the food on the table.

“Uh, you might say,” Dean said as he slowly came out of the bathroom.

Sam quickly drew his gun, aiming it at his brother. “Who the hell are you!” he demanded.

Amy jumped between the two men, putting her back towards Dean as she held her hands out defensively towards Sam. “Whoa, whoa, whoa!” she said quickly. “It’s Dean, Sam. It’s Dean.”

Sam lowered his gun. “Dean?”

Dean sighed. “Hi.”

“What the hell happened?” Sam asked.

“Dean found Patrick, played a game of poker against him, and lost,” Amy explained.

Sam turned to his brother. “You f—I thought you said you were g-good at poker,” he stammered as Dean walked towards the food.

“I am. Shut up.” Dean picked up a burger. “So, you were just gonna shoot some old guy? Is that it?”

“I didn't know what you were,” Sam argued. “I mean, have you seen you? You look like—”

“The old chick in _Titanic_ ,” Dean said with a mouthful of food. “I know. shut up.”

“I was gonna say Emperor Palpatine,” Sam corrected.

Amy let out a small laugh as the door thudded open again and Bobby rolled into the room.

“I see you two met John McCain there,” Bobby said as the door closed behind him.

Sam scoffed. “Yeah. Either of you want to tell me what happened?”

“Bobby's an idiot. That's what happened,” Dean said, shoving another bite into his mouth.

“Hey, nobody asked you to play,” Bobby argued.

Dean nodded. “Right. I should have just let you die.”

“And for damn sure, nobody asked you to lose!” Bobby snapped.

Sam grinned. “It's like _Grumpy Old Men_.”

Dean and Bobby turned to Sam. “Shut up, Sam,” they yelled simultaneously.

“What the hell were you thinking?” Dean asked Bobby. “He's a witch. He's been playing poker since guys wore tights.”

Bobby shook his head. “You just don't get it.”

“Yeah, I get it, Bobby. You saw a chance to turn the hands of the clock back and get out of that damn chair. Pretty tempting.” Dean scoffed and shook his head. “I can imagine.”

“No, you can't,” Bobby snapped back.

Amy shook her head and smiled in amusement. “This is so entertaining to watch,” she said through a small laugh.

“Be quiet, Amy,” Dean snapped. He turned back to Bobby. “You got me. I never been paralyzed. But I tell you something—I've been to hell, and there's an archangel there wanting me to drop the soap.”

Bobby sighed and looked away from Dean.

“Look at me!” Dean continued. “My junk's rustier than yours! You hear me bellyaching? Huh?”

“Uh, actually, yeah,” Sam said.

Dean turned to Sam and opened his mouth to say something, only to be interrupted by a pained groan. “Oh!” He sat down, still holding onto his burger. “I'm having a heart attack.”

Amy suddenly grew worried as Dean groaned again.

“No, you're not,” Bobby said.

Dean exhaled sharply. “What is it?” he asked.

“Acid reflux,” Bobby explained. “Guys your age can't digest certain foods. You're gonna need to put down that cheeseburger.”

Amy couldn’t help but chuckle as Dean reluctantly put down his burger. “Alright,” she finally said, “well how are we gonna get grandpa here young again.”

“Hey!” Dean cried out in protest.

“It's got to be about the chips,” Bobby said, ignoring Dean.

Dean leaned forward across the table. “I slid 'em across,” he said quietly, “Patrick did his little witchy number, and you prettied up in a hurry.”

“I mean, what are you all thinking?” Sam asked. “Some kind of magic chips or something?”

Amy shrugged. “Sure sounds like it.”

“Definitely,” Bobby agreed.

“You remember what he chanted?” Dean asked as Sam sat down at the table.

Bobby nodded. “Yep—every word.”

Sam smiled in relief. “All right, then let's find out where he stashes his chips.”

“And steal me fifty. Benjamin Button me back into burger shape.” Dean snorted a bit before turning back to Sam. “What do you think?”

“I think you ought to put some clothes on,” Bobby said.

Dean glared at Bobby, but stood up from the table and headed back towards the bathroom, grabbing his duffle bag along the way.

“Do you think we can fix this?” Sam asked, turning to Amy.

Amy nodded. “I know we can,” she assured the other hunter. 

“Do you remember how?” Sam asked. “I mean, do the chips work?”

Amy shrugged. “I don’t know.”

“Well, then how can you be so sure?”

Amy sighed. “Sam, there are eleven seasons of this show that I’ve watched. This-” she pointed down at the floor, “-is season five. That means there are six more seasons of this show circling around you and Dean. I might not remember how to solve this case, but I do know that there’s no possible way Dean is old throughout the rest of the show. Just trust me, okay?”

“I do trust you Amy,” Sam said with a nod. “I’m just worried about Dean.”

“Dean will be fine,” Amy assured him. “We’ll figure this out.”

The bathroom door opened back up and Dean stepped out, now dressed in his normal attire, but still old.

“Ready to go?” Amy asked.

Dean nodded. “Let’s go get me young again.”

A loud knock sounded at the door. Dean walked over to answer it, fixing the collar on his jacket along the way. He opened the door to reveal a young maid, with a cart and an armful of towels.

“Ready for housekeeping, sir?” the maid asked.

Dean leaned against the doorframe. “Born ready.” Amy could tell he was grinning.

The maid laughed. “You're just like my grandfather. He hits on anything that moves, too.” She started to head into the room. “You're adorable.”

“And dangerous,” Dean said quickly, turning back into the room.

“Aw.” The maid laughed and headed towards the bathroom. 

Amy turned to Dean with a smirk. 

Dean frowned as he watched the maid disappear. “Can we just go?” he finally asked, turning and walking out of the room before anyone had a chance to say anything. 

Bobby rolled his wheelchair out of the room after Dean. Sam and Amy followed them down to Bobby’s van. Amy climbed into the back, while Dean got into the front passenger side. She watched as Bobby pushed himself out of his wheelchair and into the driver’s side. Sam folded up the wheelchair and put it into the back, before getting in next to Amy.

* * *

Bobby had installed two sticks in his van that allowed him to accelerate and brake with ease. Dean directed them to the bar he had found Patrick in. It ended up being fairly close to the motel. Bobby parked across the street and turned off the engine. Amy and Sam leaned forward across the front seat as they waited for any sign of Patrick.

“There,” Dean said after a while, “that’s him.” He pointed out the windshield at a man with brown hair, adjusting the cuffs on his sleeves.

Patrick checked his watch and crossed the street without looking. Out of nowhere, a car sped down the street, hitting the man head-on.

Amy jumped in her seat as she watched the potential witch hit the hood of the car and get thrown into the street. The driver of the car quickly got out and ran over to the lifeless body in the middle of the street. He looked around, and ran up to a couple of construction workers nearby.

As the hunters watched, another car drove by, with Patrick as the driver. 

Dean let out a laugh. “I got to say, I kind of like the guy.” 

“Idjit,” Bobby muttered under his breath. He started the engine back up and drove down the street behind the potential witch.

* * *

They followed Patrick to the States Borough apartment building across town. He got out of his car and headed inside the building.

“We going in after him?” Amy asked.

Dean shook his head. “Too risky right now. We’ll wait ‘till he leaves again, then sneak inside.”

Amy nodded and leaned back against the seat. This would probably be a long wait.

* * *

Nearly an hour later, Patrick finally reemerged from the building. He got back into his car and drove off.

“Alright, let’s move,” Sam said, opening his door. 

Dean, and Amy followed the younger Winchester out of the car. Sam retrieved Bobby’s wheelchair from the back and set it by the driver’s door so Bobby could get out. 

Once Bobby was in his wheelchair, Sam grabbed the handles and rolled the chair towards the building. Dean held open the door while Sam pushed Bobby inside. He let go of the wheelchair and let Bobby roll himself further into the building. 

Bobby let out a soft sigh. “Well, I'm out,” he said, nodding towards the elevator.

Amy looked over at the elevator to see a sign taped to the door that read: "ELEVATOR OUT OF ORDER SORRY FOR THE INCONVENIENCE". Sam looked at it as well, before turning to Bobby and sighing. 

“Sorry, Bobby,” Amy muttered.

“Don’t feel sorry for me you idjit,” Bobby snapped. “You guys have some stairs to climb.”

Amy groaned. “Right.”

Sam walked past her and started heading up the stairs. “Come on, let’s go.”

Amy and Dean started following Sam up the stairs. Sam and Amy hurried up to the second floor, only to turn around and see Dean slowly walking up one step at a time, panting heavily.

“Dean,” Sam said, getting his brother’s attention. He pointed to a sign with a large two on it. 

Dean sighed as Sam and Amy turned and continued on. He glared at the sign, before following behind them again.

* * *

A long while, and several stops for Dean later, they finally reached the top floor. Sam opened the door out of the stairwell and Amy followed him out to the hallway. After a long pause, Dean stepped into the hallway as well, joining the other two in front of the room. 

Sam pulled out his lockpicking kit and picked the lock. The door swung open and the hunters entered the large room. 

“Split up,” Sam instructed. “We need to find those chips.”

Amy nodded and headed down a hallway. She came across a bedroom and stepped inside. She opened up a drawer to the nightstand by the bed and began rummaging through it.

“Sam? Amy?” she heard Dean call out.

Amy closed the drawer and walked back out to where Dean was. He was standing in front of an armoire with a false back opened up to reveal a safe.

“Dime-store model. Piece of cake.” Dean began turning the dial. He squinted as he slowly turned the dial, leaning in and out.

“This is so sad to watch,” Amy muttered.

“Yeah, it's like _Mission: Pathetic,_ ” Sam agreed. He nudged his brother out of the way. “Watch out.” He spun the dial, opening the safe quickly. The safe opened to reveal several poker chips inside.

Dean huffed. “I could have done that.”

“Sure you could,” Amy said sarcastically.

Sam frowned and started to grab handfuls of chips.

“What are you doing?” a woman’s voice asked behind them.

The hunters spun around to see a woman in a black dress, with long, wavy brown hair and a silver locket around her neck.

“Aren't you the chick from the bar?” Dean asked.

“I'm a lot more than that,” the woman snarled. She clenched a fish and Dean doubled over.

“Dean!” Amy cried out in panic

Patrick suddenly hurried up and put a hand on the woman’s arm. “It's all right, sweetheart,” he said softly. “It's all right. They're harmless.”

The woman let Dean go and Patrick stepped forward. “You three want chips? Take 'em.” He folded his arms. “They're just chips, Einsteins. It's showmanship. This may come as a shock, but the magic does not lie in a pile of crappy plywood or in any phony abracadabra. It's in the nine-hundred-year-old witch. You guys want years? Score 'em the old-fashioned way. Texas hold 'em.” He began chewing on a toothpick.

Dean stepped forward. “Fine. Let's do it.”

Patrick pulled a card out of his pocket. It was the eight of hearts. “What card am I holding up?”

Dean squinted at the card, but didn’t answer.

“That's what I thought,” Patrick said, putting down the card. “If your eyesight's that bad, what about your memory? I'm not a murderer.” He turned to Sam. “You, on the other hand...”

Amy looked up at Sam, who seemed to be considering the idea. “Sam...” she said threateningly. 

“No, Sam,” Dean said quietly.

“Dean.”

“What, Sam not much of a player?” Patrick asked. He pointed the toothpick at Amy. “Well what about her?”

Amy shook her head. “Never played poker before.”

Patrick shrugged. “Okay, well, happy trails, Dean. Enjoy the twilight of your life. Should have taken better care of that ticker, though.” He walked over to the door and held it open for them. “You're free to go.”

Dean and Amy took the hint and headed towards the open door. A moment later, Sam followed. 

“Oh, but, Sam...” Patrick said, stopping the younger Winchester. “Your brother's situation—that's punishment enough, but I can't let you leave without a small parting gift.” He raised his hands and clapped three times.

Sam frowned. “What are you doing?” 

“You'll find out soon enough.” Patrick gave him a wink.

“Let's get out of here,” Dean said. The hunters left the room and the witch closed the door behind them.

“Well that went well,” Amy muttered.

They headed back down the stairs. As they approached the outside door, Sam began to scratch at the inside of his thighs. He opened the door for the others and scratched some more.

“Dude...” Dean said as they stepped outside. “I believe that he-witch gave you the clap.”

Amy stifled a laugh as Sam went stiff for a moment. Dean laughed as his brother marched off.

Bobby was waiting for them in the van. The hunters got back in and he drove off towards the motel. “You three find out anything?”

“Yeah, the chips were pretty much useless,” Amy said. “Which means we’re back to square one.”

“We’ll figure something out,” Sam assured her.

* * *

**November 11th, 2009 - Cireco Motel**

By the time they got back to the motel, the sun was starting to rise. Bobby parked his van in the lower parking lot and they got out. They started heading up an incline towards the room, but a loud curse stopped them in their tracks.

“Little help here?” Bobby snapped. Amy turned to see him struggling to roll his wheelchair up the hill. 

Sam walked behind the chair and pushed Bobby up the incline, while Dean and Amy walked alongside.

“You know, I still think I should play,” Sam suggested.

They reached the top of the incline and Bobby took over rolling his chair. Dean stopped walking and turned to his brother. “No, no, no. You're not good enough. I'm better. Bobby's way better. We both lost.” 

Amy stopped as well as Bobby turned his chair to face them. 

“Exactly,” Bobby said.

“So, what? So I don't get a say in this anymore?” Sam asked. “Amy doesn’t know how to play poker, so I’m the best chance we got at beating this guy right now!”

“Sammy, when you get to be our age—” Dean began.

“You’re only ten years older than me, Dean!” Amy snapped. 

“Look, I've watched you hustle plenty of poker—” Sam began.

“Knowing the game is not enough, Sam,” Bobby cut him off. “It's not about playing the cards.”

“It's about playing the other guy. I know that,” Sam finished. 

“Well, hooray for you,” Bobby mocked. “All I'm saying is, I played this guy. I know his style. I can take him.”

Dean shook his head. “No, Bobby. You don't have enough years in the bank.”

“I got enough,” Bobby said.

Sam shook his head as well. “No, you'll die if you lose, Bobby.” 

Amy nodded in agreement.

“So what if I do, huh?” Bobby snapped. “What exactly am I living for, huh? The damn apocalypse? Watching men die bloody while I sit in this chair, can't take a step to help 'em?”

“Bobby—” Dean began, stepping forward. 

Bobby quickly cut him off. “No, no. It's the facts. I'm old...and broke down...and I can't...” he stopped, taking a deep breath. “I ain't a hunter no more. I'm useless. And if I wasn't such a coward, I'd have stuck a gun in my mouth the day I got home from the hospital.”

The other hunters fell into silence at Bobby’s words. No one knew what to say.

“Bobby...” Amy began quietly, not really sure what she planned on saying.

Sam spoke for her. “Bobby, you are not playing again,” he said quietly. “I'm not letting you do that. There's another way out of this. There's got to be. And I'm gonna find it.” He stormed past the others and stalked off.

Dean watched him go, before heading towards the motel room. Bobby rolled his wheelchair after them and Amy watched them all go, before following behind as well.

Dean opened the door to the motel room, so Bobby could roll his wheelchair in, only to stop abruptly, causing Amy to nearly collide with him. 

The woman from Patrick’s room was sitting on the bed, holding a piece of paper. She held it out to them. “Take it. It'll help you.”

Bobby rolled closer and took the paper. “What is this?” he asked, examining it.

“The most powerful reversal spell you've ever laid your eyes on,” the witch explained.

“And it reverses what?” Dean asked warily, stepping next to Bobby.

“Patrick's work—all of it,” the woman explained.

“You—you saying I could be normal again?” Dean asked hopefully.

The woman nodded. “You and everyone else he's ever played.” She quickly corrected herself. “Who's still alive.”

“Why should we trust you?” Amy demanded.

The woman shrugged as she stood up. “Trust me, don't trust me. I don't care. The spell is real.”

Bobby turned his chair towards the door as the woman walked towards it. “If it zaps everyone, don't that include your man?”

The woman nodded. “And me, too.” She smirked. “I look good for my age.”

“Lady, this don't add up for squat. Why would you want that?” Bobby asked.

“I have my reasons,” the woman said softly. She looked down at the silver locket around her neck. “Do it quick. We leave town tomorrow.”

The witch left and the hunters all exchanged a glance. Bobby examined the spell. “Looks legit,” he grunted.

“Why the hell is she doing this?” Dean asked.

“I dunno,” Amy admitted. “But did you see the way she looked at her locket? I’ll bet you anything she outlived someone close to her.”

“Who cares?” Bobby asked. “If this works, we should get this done quickly.” He looked up at Dean. “Who knows how much time you have left.”

Amy stepped forward. “Do we have everything we need for the spell?” 

Bobby turned back to the paper. “Almost,” he grunted. “We need the jawbone of a murderer and the DNA of the witch.”

“The jawbone of a murderer?” Amy repeated. “Where the hell are we gonna get that?”

Dean shrugged. “A graveyard?”

“I figured that much Einstein,” Amy snapped, “I mean are there even any murderers buried in Sioux Falls?”

“Oh there’s plenty,” Bobby said, wheeling his chair to the table. “There’s a graveyard nearby that, last I checked, had a few killers buried in it.”

Dean nodded as he pulled out his phone. “I’ll call Sammy and get him back here. He couldn’t have gotten too far.” He stepped outside to call his brother and Amy flopped down on the bed. She hadn’t slept the night before and was starting to get pretty tired.

“You doing okay, kid?” Bobby asked, rolling over to her.

Amy nodded. “Just tired.”

Bobby grunted in response. “Well don’t fall asleep on us just yet. We’re still gonna need your help.”

“I won’t,” Amy said as she closed her eyes,” don’t worry.”

* * *

“Hey, kid, wake up.”

Amy opened her eyes to find Bobby shaking her awake. “Huh?” she muttered.

“I told you not to fall asleep on us.”

Amy sat up. “I didn’t fall asleep,” she argued. “I was only resting my eyes.” She turned to the clock on the nightstand, only to see that it was now a few hours later. “Oh,” she said meekly.

“Yeah, ‘oh’,” Bobby repeated. “While you were taking your little snooze, we came up with a plan.”

Amy sat on the end of the bed. “What are we doing?”

“Sam’s gonna play Patrick while you, me, and Dean get the jawbone and the spell ready. He’s gonna keep the witch playing for as long as he can so we have enough time.”

Amy nodded as she looked around the empty room. “Where’s Dean?”

“He went out to get the rest of the ingredients we need for this,” Bobby explained. “Once he gets back we’re heading out, so be ready.”

Amy nodded again.

A short while later, Dean came back inside the room, holding a plastic bag. “Got the stuff.” He spotted Amy sitting on the edge. “Morning sleeping beauty,” he joked.

“Shut up,” Amy grumbled. She stood up and walked over to him. “That everything?”

“Everything except the jawbone of a murderer,” Dean said. He turned to Bobby. “Sammy’s already with Patrick.”

“Well then what the hell are we all doing sitting here?” Bobby asked. “Let’s go.”

The hunters headed back out to Bobby’s van and got in. Bobby pulled himself into the driver’s seat and Dean got in next to him. Amy climbed in the back and they took off.

* * *

They reached a graveyard just as the sun was starting to set. Amy grabbed two shovels from the back as Dean set Bobby’s wheelchair out for him and the older hunter pushed himself into it. Handing one shovel to Dean, they headed into the graveyard in search of the grave they needed to dig up.

“Over here,” Amy heard Bobby say after a while. She turned to see him rolling down the pathway towards a grave. She quickly hurried after him with Dean close behind.

The name on the tombstone had almost faded away, but Amy could still make out the last half of a name. 

Bobby stopped near the grave. “Alright,” he grunted, “get digging, you two.”

Dean and Amy exchanged a glance, before they began to dig.

By the time they had about a quarter of the grave dug, a light blanket of fog had begun to roll in. Bobby sat in his wheelchair at the foot of the grave as Dean and Amy continued digging.

“Jawbone of a murderer,” Dean muttered. “Great.” He stuck his shovel into the dirt, breathing hard. “You know, this really sucks,” he told Bobby. “How do we even know her spell's gonna work?”

“We don't,” Bobby said. “But we ain't got a Plan B. Now, less flappin' and more diggin'.”

Dean picked his shovel back up and went to move another pile of dirt. Amy quickly looked up in slight panic as she heard a loud crack.

“Dean?” she asked with worry in her voice.

“Oh, God!” Dean moaned. Bobby rolled his eyes as Amy grew a little more concerned. “My elbows! I'm all creaky.”

“Hurry up, you crybaby,” Bobby snapped.

Dean glared up at him. “Pound it up your ass, Ironsides.”

Bobby scoffed as Amy went back to digging. “One little grave.”

“Then you do it,” Dean snapped.

Bobby looked insulted. “Fine. I'll hop right in.”

“Well, least your legs are numb,” Dean growled.

Bobby rolled his eyes again. “Shut up and dig, Grandma.”

Dean went back to digging, only to groan in pain once more. “Oh! Now it's my back!”

“Can you straighten up?” Bobby asked.

Dean nodded. “Yeah, but a little sympathy wouldn't hurt.”

“Butt cheek tingling?” 

Dean slowly turned to Bobby. “Well, that's kind of personal.”

“So yeah?” 

Dean didn’t respond.

“It's sciatica. You'll live. Keep digging.”

Amy rolled her eyes and kept digging into the grave.

“You know, Bobby, killing you is officially on my bucket list,” Dean threatened. He continued digging beside Amy, occasionally groaning in pain at his old limbs.

* * *

Eventually, they hit a coffin. Amy pried it open and the two hunters set their shovels aside. The jawbone was already detached from the skeleton inside, so she reached down and picked it up with ease. “Got it,” she said as she set the jawbone on the dirt outside the grave and climbed out. She picked the bone back up as Dean slowly pushed himself out of the grave.

“I’ll text Sam and let him know we got the bone,” Amy said as she picked up the shovels. “Make sure he can get that DNA we need out to us.”

They got back into Bobby’s van and headed off towards the bar Dean had said Sam was at. Amy pulled out her phone and shot Sam a quick text. 

_Got the jawbone. On our way to you now._ She put her phone to the side, not waiting for a reply. 

Bobby drove them behind the bar. Dean got out and headed up to the front to wait for Sam while Amy and Bobby got the spell ready.

Bobby handed Amy the ingredients and a bowl with the jawbone already inside. “Put these into that bowl and get a fire going.”

Dean walked back over to them, holding a toothpick in his hand. He held it up for them to see. “The he-witch was chewing on it.”

Bobby nodded as he got the spell out to read. “Be ready.” He started reading the spell. “ _Airmidh mi air maponus, dia na hogalachd. Gairmidh mi air sucellus, dia na time.”_

Amy threw the ingredients into the flames and they flared up blue. 

“ _Till an-dràsda obair uile gu bheilair a bhith deànta. Mar sin bitheadh,”_ Bobby finished. He turned to Dean. “Drop it in.”

Dean held up the toothpick for a moment, before dropping it into the fire. Amy seemed to hold her breath as she waited for anything to happen.

“Well?” Dean asked after a moment. “How do I look?”

Amy sighed in frustration. “Great,” she muttered. Dean was still old.

Dean looked down at his wrinkled hands and groaned in frustration. “Now what?”

“Back to the van,” Bobby explained. “I’ll explain on the way.”

Amy helped Bobby turn his wheelchair around and they headed back to the van. Dean and Bobby got back into the front and Amy put Bobby’s wheelchair into the back with her before getting in. 

“Where we going?” Amy asked as Bobby started driving.

“Back to that he-witches apartment building,” Bobby explained. He sighed in frustration. “I don’t get it. Everything we put in that spell was kosher.” 

Dean scoffed. “Yeah, everything except the damn toothpick.”

“Which means we just need to find more,” Amy said.

Bobby grunted in response. “You both better strap on your track shoes.”

“Oh, goody,” Dean mumbled. “More stairs.”

Bobby drove them back to the skyscraper building and Amy and Dean got out. Amy ran inside the building and started heading up the stairs, turning at the landing of the second floor to see Dean slowly coming up behind her.

“Go on ahead,” Dean said, waving a hand. “I’ll catch up.”

“You sure?”

Dean nodded. “We need that DNA.”

Amy nodded back and hurried up the stairs, leaving Dean to slowly walk up after her.

* * *

Amy reached the top floor long before Dean. She would occasionally stop to check and make sure he hadn’t collapsed dead on the staircase, but eventually stopped doing that and finished her trek up the stairs.

Using her powers to unlock the door, she stepped inside the dark room and looked around. Several moments later, she heard heavy breathing behind her and turned to see Dean leaning on the doorframe, trying to catch his breath. “You good?” she asked in concern.

Dean nodded. He cleared his throat and straightened up. “Let’s just find that damn DNA.” He walked further into the room.

Dean’s phone rang and he pulled it out to answer. “Bobby?” he asked into the speaker. There was a pause. Amy continued down a hallway as Dean searched the main area.

“It's too damn clean in here,” Amy heard Dean say as she made her way into the first room. “First witch I ever heard of didn't spew bodily fluids all over the place.”

Dean lapsed into silence as he listened to Bobby speak on the other line. Suddenly, Amy heard the other hunter groan and a soft thud come from the room he was in. She ran out of the room she was in to find him lying on the floor, unmoving. His phone lay open near his hand, with the call from Bobby still going.

“Dean!” Amy cried out in a panic. She ran over to him, sliding down on her knees next to him.

“Dean?” Bobby’s faint voice came over the speaker. “Dean you there?”

Amy picked up the phone. “Bobby, Dean collapsed!” she said quickly, panic rising in her voice. “I think he’s dying.”

There was silence on the other line as Amy heard Bobby’s breath shudder. She was growing more panicked as she watched Dean gasping weakly on the floor next to her. She quickly checked his pulse. It was there, but faint. Putting the phone down, she quickly composed herself and began giving the hunter chest compressions.

‘ _Come on, Amy, don’t panic now,_ ’ she thought to herself. ‘ _You were trained for this sort of thing before you even met Sam and Dean.’_

“Come on, Dean,” she muttered as the hunter’s breathing became a little more faint.

“Kid you there?” Bobby asked over the phone.

Amy put the phone on speaker and continued the compressions. “Yeah, Bobby, I’m here.”

“Dean, is he...” Bobby trailed off.

“He’s still alive right now,” Amy said quickly. “I’m actually doing CPR on him right now but I don’t know how much longer I can keep this up.”

“It’s okay, kid,” Bobby’s voice was still shaky. “I’m here. It’ll be okay.”

Amy nodded, knowing Bobby couldn’t see her. She let out a shaky breath as she checked Dean’s pulse again. It was still weak. Nothing she was doing seemed to be helping. 

Dean’s eyes began to flutter closed as he let out a few more breaths, each one weaker than the last.

“Dean?” Amy asked, her own voice now shaking as she watched someone she considered family die in front of her. 

Dean’s head rolled to one side as his chest seemed to stop moving. 

“Dean!?” Amy cried out. “Dean, no!” She put her head on his chest and began to cry as the hunter died in front of her.

A loud gasp suddenly brought her head up. She looked down to see Dean, now young again, waking up next to her. 

Amy looked in both shock and excitement at the man in front of her.“You’re okay!”

“Yeah,” Dean said, much to the relief of Amy. “Yeah, I’m okay.” He sat up, only to groan and clutch his chest. “Why does my chest hurt so much?”

“Oh, sorry,” Amy apologized, “that was probably me. I was doing CPR on you.”

Dean groaned again. “I think you might have broken a rib.”

Amy shrugged. “Well that only means I did it right.” She stood up and held out a hand to pull Dean to his feet. “Ready to go?”

Dean closed his phone and slipped it into his pocket, before standing up next to her. “Race you,” he challenged.

Amy smirked. “Sure you can keep up old man?”

Dean glared at her. “Oh, yeah, you’re on now.” Without waiting for a response, he ran out the door and towards the stairwell. 

“Cheater!” Amy called out, before racing after him.

* * *

Dean ended up beating Amy in the race by mere inches. They both stopped in front of the elevator to catch their breath.

“We should probably not leave Bobby panicking over whether or not you’re dead for much longer,” Amy said, once she had caught her breath.

Dean nodded in agreement. “Let’s get going.” He opened the door to the outside and stepped out the door. Amy followed behind, watching in amusement as he did a dance while approaching the van, laughing when he jumped in the air and clicked his heels together.

Running ahead of Dean, Amy climbed into the backseat of Bobby’s van. Dean did a little spin next to the passenger side door, before getting in as well.

“What the hell happened in there?” Bobby demanded. “You both had me worried sick, you know that?”

“Sorry, Bobby,” Dean said.

“I guess this means Sam actually beat the guy,” Amy realized.

Dean’s phone rang and he quickly answered it. “Sammy?” There was a pause. “So, you did it, huh? You actually beat the guy?” Another pause and Dean smiled. “Awesome. We’ll meet you back at the motel. Oh and Sammy? Good job.” Dean ended the call and Bobby drove away from the apartment in the direction of the motel.

“So Sam actually did it,” Bobby said, a little impressed. “Didn’t think the kid had it in him.”

“Sam’s full of surprises,” Dean said.

* * *

They beat Sam back to the motel. Bobby parked his van next to the Impala and they all got out. 

Dean rolled Bobby into the room as Amy held the door open for them, only to grab the keys to the Impala as soon as the door had closed behind them. 

“Where you going?” Amy asked.

“To get a burger,” Dean said triumphantly.

Amy rolled her eyes as Dean left the motel room once more.

A few minutes after Dean had left, Sam walked into the room. “Where’s Dean?” he immediately asked.

“Dean’s fine,” Amy assured him. “He went out to get a burger.”

Sam breathed a sigh of relief. “Okay,” he said. “Okay, good.”

Bobby rolled closer to Sam. “So, no tricks,” he began, “you actually beat the guy?”

Sam spread his arms out. 

“How the hell?” Bobby asked in disbelief.

Sam smirked. “Just lucky.” He headed for the open door, passing Dean who was returning with his burger. “Hey. I'll see y'all guys later.” Sam grabbed his jacket.

“Where you going?” Dean asked as he stood in the doorway.

“Uh...mm, nowhere,” Sam said nervously.

The hunters looked at him, waiting for a different answer.

“A booster shot,” Sam admitted. He jabbed a finger at Dean. “Don't say it.”

Dean smirked as Sam left the room and walked further inside. 

Bobby groaned and started rolling towards the door. “Well, I guess we can get the van loaded.”

Dean put his burger down on the table and held up a finger, clearing his throat. “I shouldn't have called you an idiot.”

Bobby scoffed. “Which time?”

“I'm sorry,” Dean admitted. “I mean, I actually—I, I—I get it. Getting old ain't a bachelor party. And dealing with the crap you got to deal with—”

Bobby cut him off. “Don't you go on pity patrol.”

“I'm not,” Dean said quickly, holding up a hand. “I'm not. I'm just...I'm saying, you know, if I was in your shoes...”

“You'd never stop complaining,” Bobby finished. Amy couldn’t help but chuckle.

Dean stared at the old hunter for a moment. “Fair enough.” Amy saw Bobby chuckle slightly at that. 

“You're not useless, Bobby,” Dean finally said.

Bobby looked as if he was taking in Dean’s words for a moment. “Okay,” he said instead. “Good talk.” He started to roll his chair towards the open door but Dean stepped into his path.

“No, wait a minute. Listen to me.” Dean sat down and sighed. “You don't stop being a soldier 'cause you got wounded in battle. Okay? No matter what shape you're in, bottom line is, you're family. I don't know if you've noticed, but me and Sam, we don't have much left. I can't do this without you. I can't. So don't you dare think about checking out. I don't want to hear that again.”

“We still need you, Bobby,” Amy added quietly. “I need you. Without Sam and Dean, you’re the only family I have left in this world.”

There was a long silence before Bobby finally spoke. “Okay,” he said softly.

“Okay.” Dean nodded. “Good.”

“Thanks. Now, we done feeling our feelings?” Bobby asked. “'Cause I'd like to get out of this room before we both start growing lady parts.” He turned to Amy. “No offense, kid.”

Amy waved a hand. “None taken. Let’s get out of here.”

Dean picked his burger back up. He looked at it for a moment and held it up for Bobby to see, before setting it down again and picking up his bag. “Let's go, Ironsides.”

Amy laughed as Dean slung his bag over his shoulder and headed for the door. She picked up her bag and started to follow behind. 

“Oh, that one's sticking, huh?” Bobby asked.

Dean looked back at the old hunter, smiling, before turning and heading out the door. Amy stayed behind with Bobby, but he waved her off. 

“Go on ahead, kid,” Bobby said, “I’ll be out in a moment.”

Amy nodded and followed Dean out the door. She met up with him at the open trunk of the Impala and tossed her bag in next to hers.

Bobby rolled out of the motel room, leaving the door open behind him. He rolled up to them. “Well,” he said with a grunt. “I guess I’ll see you three later.”

“See ya, Bobby,” Amy said.

Bobby pushed himself into his van and drove off, leaving Dean and Amy standing in the parking lot.

“Ready to go?” Dean asked.

Amy nodded. “Let’s go.”

Dean closed the trunk and circled around to the front. “You can have shotgun until we get Sammy back,” he told her.

Amy headed towards the passenger side and slid in next to Dean. The other hunter started the engine, letting it purr to life. He pulled out of the parking lot and they headed off to pick up Sam.

  
  



	41. Changing Channels

**November 20th, 2009 - Wellington, Ohio**

**Day-Z Motel**

Amy slid out of the Impala after a long, nearly twenty-four hour drive from Gillette, Wyoming for a case involving a forty-four year old man named William Randolph getting his head ripped off in his home. She stretched her arms as she stood next to the Impala. “We gonna go check out this case?” she asked as Sam walked off to check them into a room.

Dean nodded. “Soon as we’re ready.”

Amy didn’t say anything in response. She grabbed her duffle bag from the trunk and leaned against the side of the car while they waited for Sam to return. 

A couple minutes later, Sam stepped out of the office and walked back over to them. He handed Dean the room key and grabbed his bag from the trunk, before slamming it closed.

Dean led them up to the motel room and pushed the door open for them. “Get dressed,” he instructed. “We’ll head down as soon as we can.”

Amy pulled her FBI uniform out of her bag. She headed into the bathroom and quickly changed into her uniform. She pulled her hair into a pony-tail, before stepping out to join back up with Sam and Dean.

Dean changed into his uniform next. He turned on the small television in the corner of the room and began flipping through the channels while he and Amy waited for Sam to get ready.

Amy wasn’t paying attention to the channels Dean was flipping through. She sat down on the blue comforter of the bed and laid back against the white headboard. The walls of the motel room were covered in a faded yellow and green flowery wallpaper. 

Sexy music began to play from the television and Amy slowly brought her eyes up to see that Dean had stopped on  _ Dr. Sexy, MD _ and was leaning forward, entranced by the show. Two doctors were on the screen, making out in an elevator while the music played.

“Isn’t this that show that Chuck’s publisher told us about when we met her? The one that was based on a book?” Amy asked.

Dean cleared his throat. “Yeah, I, uh, I think so. I was just, you know, surfing through the channels and, uh...” he trailed off.

Amy nodded slowly. “Uh huh.”

“What are you watching?” Sam asked, coming out of the bathroom.

“Hospital show,” Dean said uneasily. “ _ Dr. Sexy, MD _ . I think it's based on a book.”

Sam chuckled. “When did you hit menopause?” he joked.

Amy snickered in response.

“It's called channel surfing,” Dean defended. He stood up and turned off the TV. “You ready?”

Sam grabbed his jacket from the other bed and put it on. “Are you?”

Dean grabbed the keys to the Impala and led them back out to the car. 

  
  


They reached the police station in ten minutes. Amy grabbed her FBI badge and followed them inside.

They walked up to the first officer they saw and held up their badges. 

“Agents Clark, Allen, and Campbell,” Dean introduced. “FBI.”

The officer looked at them suspiciously. “And the FBI is here why, exactly?” he asked.

“Might have something to do with one of your locals getting his head ripped off,” Dean said.

The officer scoffed. “Bill Randolph died from a bear attack.”

“How sure are you that it was a bear?” Sam asked.

“What else would it be?”

Dean smirked. “Well, whatever it was, it chased Mr. Randolph through the woods, smashed through his front door, followed him up the stairs, and killed him in his bedroom. Is that common, a bear doing all that?”

Amy turned to the officer and tilted her head as she waited for a response.

“Depends how pissed off it is, I guess,” the officer said. He sighed. “Look, the Randolphs live way up in high country. You got trout runs to make a grown man weep. And bears.”

Sam nodded. “Right. Now, what about Mrs. Randolph? The file says she saw the whole thing.”

“Yes, she did.” The officer shook his head sadly. “My heart goes out to that poor woman.”

“She said bear,” Dean said.

The officer hesitated for a moment. “Kathy Randolph went through a hell of a trauma. She's confused.”

“What did she say?” Sam asked.

“Well, she, uh,” the officer began, “she didn’t exactly say anything helpful.”

“Which was what, exactly?” Amy asked.

The officer hesitated again.

“Look,” Dean interrupted, “we just want to talk to her. Get her input on what happened.”

The officer looked between the three hunters, before sighing. “Alright,” he agreed. “She’s in the interview room.” He walked out from behind the counter. “This way.”

The Winchesters and Amy followed the officer down the hall towards the interview room. A woman with short brown hair, wearing a gray sweater sat at a table with her back to the door. 

“Kathy Randolph?” the officer asked as he opened the door for the hunters. “FBI here to talk to you.”

Amy followed Sam and Dean into the room.

“Kathy Randolph?” Sam asked as he sat down in a chair across from the woman. “I’m agent Allen.” He gestured to Dean and Amy. “These are my partners, agents Clark and Campbell. We have a few questions about your husband’s death.”

Dean sat down next to Sam and Amy stayed standing behind the two of them. 

“I’ve already told the officers everything I know,” Mrs. Randolph explained.

“We know,” Sam said. “We just wanna make sure we’ve got all the details right.” He smiled. “This won’t take long, I promise.”

“Now, what was it that you said attacked your husband?” Dean asked.

“Uh, well, I,” Mrs. Randolph looked around at them, before shaking her head. “No, it must have been a bear,” she said determinedly. “I mean, what else could it have been?”

Sam leaned forward against the table. “Mrs. Randolph, what do you think it was?”

Mrs. Randolph sighed. “No, I, I remember clearly now. It was definitely a bear.”

“We're sure it was,” Dean said. “But see, it helps us to hear every angle. So just tell us what you thought you saw.”

Mrs. Randolph hesitated before answering. “It's impossible, but...I could have sworn I saw...the Incredible Hulk,” she admitted nervously.

“You saw...the Incredible Hulk?” Amy spoke, unsure if she heard correctly.

“I told you it was crazy,” Mrs. Randolph said quickly.

“Bana or Norton?” Dean asked.

“Oh, no, those movies were terrible. The TV Hulk.”

Dean looked taken aback. “Lou Ferrigno.”

Mrs. Randolph nodded. “Yes.”

“Spiky-hair Lou Ferrigno,” Dean continued.

Mrs. Randolph nodded a bit more frantically. “Yes.”

“Huh,” was all Dean said as he leaned back.

“Um...” Amy trailed off, unable to think of anything to say. She glanced down at Sam and Dean as they looked up at her. No one knew what to make of what the woman had said.

Mrs. Randolph sighed in defeat. “You think I'm crazy.”

“No,” Dean said quickly. “Uh, no, it's just...is there, uh, would there be any reason that Lou Ferrigno, the Incredible Hulk, would have a grudge against your husband?”

Mrs. Randolph looked insulted. “No.”

“No,” Dean echoed, shaking his head. He licked his lips and leaned back in his chair for a moment, before exchanging a glance with Sam. When Sam shrugged, he turned to Amy, who also shrugged. 

Amy cleared her throat. "Okay, well, uh, thank you for your time, Mrs. Randolph. Uh, if we have any questions we'll give you a call." She smiled nervously. 

Sam and Dean took the hint and stood up. They quickly left the interview room and left the police station. 

"Okay," Amy said as soon as they were outside. "I don't know what I was expecting when we walked into that station, but I can safely say that it sure as hell wasn't that."

"Yeah," Dean agreed. "I mean, the Hulk? Come on."

Sam scoffed. “Right.” They reached the Impala and climbed in. “Go ahead and drop me off at the crime scene on the way back to the motel. I’ll check it out while you two look into this guy that was killed.” 

Dean nodded as he pulled away from the station.

  
  


Dean and Amy dropped Sam off at the crime scene down the street from the motel, then headed back to the room. Something about this case seemed familiar to Amy, but what exactly that was, she wasn’t sure. Had the episode where Sam and Dean figured out Gabe’s real identity come already?

They pulled out their laptops and sat down at the table by the door. Amy did a quick Google search for William Randolph and found a Wellington Guardian article about the attack. 

_ The Wellington Sheriff’s Department is investigating a bear attack which occurred in a remote community near Wellington this week. Reports indicate that William Randolph, 44, was mauled to death by a black bear in his home. _

Amy scoffed as she read the next lines in the article. “Listen to this,” she told Dean. She turned back to the screen and began to read. “Preliminary findings indicate that Randolph was chased from the main road, down the driveway, into his house, before being attacked. The front door of the home had been smashed, and officers on scene described the damage. It’s like the bear was up on its hind legs, you can almost see the shape of him as he came through the door. Would have been at least six and a half feet tall up on his hind legs.”

Dean chucked. “Well it turns out Bill had a bit of an anger issue,” he said, turning back to his screen. “Two counts of spousal battery, bar brawls, court-ordered anger management sessions.”

Amy chuckled as well. “Hulk smash,” she joked.

“Let me see that article,” Dean said. Amy turned her computer around and pushed it towards him. He took it and started scrolling through the page. 

The door opened up and Sam stepped into the room. “Hey.”

Dean looked up from the screen. “Find anything?”

Sam closed the door. “Well, uh, I saw the house.”

“And?”

“And there is a giant eight-foot-wide hole where the front door used to be,” Sam said, almost as if he didn’t believe it himself. “Almost like, uh—”

“A Hulk-sized hole,” Dean finished.

“Maybe.” Sam nodded towards Amy’s laptop. “What’d you guys find?”

“Well, it turns out that Bill Randolph had quite the temper.” Dean switched back to his laptop and began flipping through any open windows on it. “He's got two counts of spousal battery, bar brawls, and court-ordered anger management sessions.” He looked back up at Sam. “You might say you wouldn't like him when he's angry.”

“So a hothead getting killed by TV's greatest hothead,” Sam said slowly. 

Amy let out a quiet laugh.

“Kinda sounds like just desserts, doesn't it?” Sam continued. “It's all starting to make sense.”

“How is it starting to make sense?” Dean asked.

“Well, I found something else at the crime scene.” Sam pulled out a handful of candy wrappers from his pocket and dropped them on the table. “Candy wrappers. Lots of them.”

Amy gasped, trying to hide her amusement. Her suspicions were right. Sam and Dean were gonna figure out who the Trickster really was this season. Which also meant they would find out she had been keeping this huge secret from them for over two years.

Dean picked up a wrapper as Sam walked over to the bed and took off his jacket. “Just desserts, sweet tooth, screwing with people before you kill 'em—we're dealing with the Trickster, aren't we?” He stood up from the table.

“Sure looks like it,” Sam confirmed.

“Good,” Dean said. “I've wanted to gank that mother since Mystery Spot.”

“You sure?” Sam asked.

Dean scoffed. “Yeah I'm sure.”

“No, I mean are you sure you wanna kill him?” Sam asked.

“Son of a bitch didn't think twice about icing me a thousand times,” Dean argued. 

Amy stayed sitting at the table, watching the conversation unfold.

“No, I know, I mean, I'm just saying—” Sam began.

Dean cut him off. “What are you saying?” he asked angrily. “If you don't want to kill him, then what?”

“Talk to him?” Sam suggested.

“Talk to him?” Amy echoed.

Sam nodded. “Think about it. He's one of the most powerful creatures we've ever met. Maybe we can use him.”

“What?” Amy asked in disbelief.

“For what?” Dean asked.

Sam sighed. “Okay, Trickster's like a Hugh Hefner type, right? Wine, women, song—maybe he doesn't want the party to end. Maybe he hates this angels and demons stuff as much as we do. Maybe he'll help us.”

Dean crossed his arms as he stared at his brother. Amy stood up from the table and walked closer to them, tilting her head slightly as she listened to Sam’s idea.

“You're serious?” Dean questioned.

“Yeah.”

“Ally with the Trickster?”

“Yeah,” Sam repeated.

“A bloody, violent monster, and you wanna be Facebook friends with him?” Dean scoffed. “Nice, Sammy.”

“You can’t honestly believe you’re gonna get him to do that, can you?” Amy asked. 

“The world is gonna end, you guys,” Sam argued. “We don't have the luxury of a moral stand. Look, I'm just saying it's worth a shot. That's all. If it doesn't work, we'll kill him.”

Dean sighed in defeat. “How are we gonna find the guy, anyway?”

“Well, he never takes just one victim, right?” Sam asked. “He'll show.”

Dean nodded. He grabbed the keys to the Impala off the counter and headed outside. He stood in the open door and turned back to his brother for a moment, before scoffing slightly. “Ally with the Trickster,” he mumbled.

Amy sat down on the bed. She already couldn’t wait to see Gabriel again. 

Dean reentered the room, carrying three wooden stakes and a police scanner. He set the scanner down on the table and down on the bed to begin sharpening the stakes.

  
  


A few minutes later, the scanner came to life. “Um, Dispatch?” a male voice asked nervously. “I, I got a possible 187 out here at the old paper mill on Route 6?”

“Hey,” Sam said. He turned up the volume on the scanner. 

Amy turned her attention to the scanner. Dean stopped sharpening the stake and turned his attention to it as well.

“Roger that,” dispatch said. “What are you looking at there, son?”

“Honestly, Walt,” the first voice said, “I, I wouldn't even know how to describe what I'm seeing. Just—send everybody.”

“All right, stay calm, stay by your car. Help's on the way.”

Sam turned off the scanner. 

“That sounds weird,” Dean noted.

“Weird enough to be our guy,” Sam agreed, standing up. “Come on.”

Amy stood up and followed Sam and Dean back out to the car, mentally beaming in excitement at the thought of what was about to happen.

  
  


Ten minutes later, Dean pulled up in front of the paper mill. A small pile of old tires lay out in front on the gravel. Several window panes were missing and the rustic shutters on the outside wall were broken or rusted over. 

They climbed out of the Impala and looked around. 

“There was a murder here, and there's no police cars,” Dean noted, looking around at the empty lot. “There's nobody.” He walked around to the trunk and opened it up. “How's that look to you?”

Sam sighed. “Crappy.”

Dean pulled three stakes and flashlights out of the trunk and handed them out. Amy reluctantly took hers and Dean led the way to a door with a big number four on the front. 

Staying a little behind, Amy tossed her stake out of the way, before following Sam and Dean inside.

As soon as she stepped through the door, a bright white light flooded her vision. Amy blinked several times, trying to clear the spots from her vision. When she could finally see again, the first thing she noticed was that she appeared to be in a hospital. Doctors and nurses walked through the halls, talking amongst themselves.

“What the hell?” Dean asked. 

Amy glanced over at Dean to see that he was now dressed in a doctor’s uniform. She looked over at Sam to find him dressed in a similar uniform. A quick glance down at herself, and Amy realized she was wearing scrubs. 

‘ _ Gabe must be trying to keep up the facade of not knowing me, _ ’ she realized.

A blonde and Asian doctor strolled past the hunters, staring dreamily up at Sam. “Doctor,” they both said as they turned down another hallway. 

“Doctor?” Sam echoed in confusion.

Dean turned back to the door they had just entered through and opened it up. Instead of the outside they had just come from, the door led to a janitor’s closet, where two doctors were making out. He quickly closed the door, looking freaked out.

“What the hell?” Amy asked.

They began walking down the hall. Another doctor, a brunette, turned away from the receptionist’s desk as they approached and walked up to them.

“Doctor.” She reached up and slapped Sam across the face.

“Ow!” Sam exclaimed.

“Seriously?” the doctor asked, searching Sam’s face with her brown eyes.

“What?” Sam asked.

“Seriously?” the young doctor repeated. “You're brilliant, you know that? And a coward. You're a brilliant coward.”

“Um. What are you talking about?” Sam asked.

The doctor slapped Sam again. Amy couldn’t help but laugh as Sam straightened back up, looking done with everything happening in front of him.

“As if you don't know!” The doctor stalked off.

“I don't believe this,” Dean said in astonishment.

“What?” Sam asked.

Dean pointed at the doctor. “That's Dr. Piccolo.”

“Who?”

“Dr. Ellen Piccolo,” Dean elaborated as he walked forward. “The sexy yet earnest doctor at-” he turned to a sign behind the receptionist’s desk and gestured to it angrily, “-Seattle Mercy Hospital.”

“Dean. What the hell are you talking about?” Sam asked.

“We’re in a TV show,” Amy helped. Dean nodded in agreement.

“What the hell are you guys talking about?” Sam repeated.

“We're in  _ Dr. Sexy, MD _ ,” Dean concluded.

Sam didn’t say anything in response. He stood there, looking as if he was trying to find the right words to say. 

Dean turned and took off down the hallway. After a moment, Sam and Amy followed.

“Dude, what the hell?” Dean asked.

“I don't know,” Sam muttered.

“No, seriously, what the hell?”

“I don't know,” Sam repeated.

Dean held up a finger. “One theory. Any theory.”

“Uh, the Trickster trapped us in TV Land,” Sam suggested.

Dean scoffed. “That's your theory? That's stupid.” He turned to Amy. “You got a theory?”

“The Trickster trapped us in TV Land?” Amy echoed what Sam had said.

“I just said that’s a stupid theory,” Dean said. 

“Hey, you’re talking to a girl who’s been living in a TV show for almost three years,” Amy reminded him. “Welcome to my world.”

“Besides, you're the one who said we're on  _ Dr. Sexy, MD _ ,” Sam reminded him.

“Yeah, but TV land isn't TV Land.” Dean gestured around the hospital. “I mean, there's actors and, and lights and crew members, you know. This looks real.”

“Like I said, welcome to my world,” Amy repeated.

“It can't be,” Sam muttered. “How can this possibly be real?”

Dean shrugged. “I don't know.”

The Asian doctor from earlier walked past them again. 

“Doctors.”

Dean watched the doctor go down the corridor. “There goes Dr. Wang. The sexy but arrogant heart surgeon.”

Dr. Wang passed a man wearing a gray robe, who was sitting down on a gurney.

“And there's Johnny Drake,” Dean continued, pointing to the man. “Oh, he's not even alive, he's a ghost in the mind of—” he gestured to another brunette doctor who had walked up to Johnny. “Of her. The sexy yet neurotic doctor over there.”

“So...this show has ghosts?” Sam scoffed. “Why?”

Dean shrugged. “I don't know. It is compelling.”

“I thought you said you weren't a fan,” Sam said.

“I'm not,” Dean defended quickly. “I'm not.”

Amy scoffed. “Says the guy who knows just about every character in this show.”

“Oh boy.”

Amy looked up to see Dean staring down the hall like a child on Christmas.

“What?” Sam asked.

Amy followed Dean’s eyes down the hall to see a man with long wavy, brown hair that stopped just past his shoulders, walking towards them.

“It's him,” Dean breathed.

“Who?” Sam asked.

“It's him, it's Dr. Sexy,” Dean said with a gasp.

Dr. Sexy stopped next to the hunters. He turned to Dean. “Doctor.”

Dean looked down, trying to hide a smile. “Doctor,” he echoed.

Dr. Sexy turned to Sam next. “Doctor.”

Sam nodded in response and Dean whacked him over the head. “Doctor,” Sam said reluctantly.

Dr. Sexy turned to Amy next. “Doctor.”

Amy already knew it was Gabriel in disguise. She shook her head in amusement. “I hate you so much right now,” she mouthed. “Doctor,” she said, smirking slightly.

Dr. Sexy turned back to Dean. “You want to give me one good reason why you defied my direct order to do the experimental face transplant on Mrs. Biehl?”

Dean’s expression quickly turned to confusion. He glanced at Sam, then Amy, then back to Dr. Sexy. “One reason?”

Dr. Sexy nodded.

“Sure.” Dean’s gaze fell to the floor. Suddenly, he slammed Gabe up against the wall. “You're not Dr. Sexy,” he sneered.

“You're crazy,” Dr. Sexy said.

“Really?” Dean asked. “Because I swore part of what makes Dr. Sexy sexy is the fact that he wears cowboy boots. Not tennis shoes.”

Amy faked a cough. “Fangirl.”

“It's a guilty pleasure,” Dean admitted.

Dr. Sexy turned his head down the hall. “Call security,” he instructed another doctor.

Dean scoffed. “Yeah, go ahead, pal. See, we know who you are.”

The other doctors and nurses around the hospital suddenly froze in place. Dean glanced around, before turning back to Dr. Sexy

Gabe grinned and morphed back into his usual look. “You guys are getting better!” he praised.

Amy grinned as Dean glared at the archangel in front of him. 

“Get us the hell out of here,” Dean snapped. 

“Or what?” Gabe grabbed Dean’s arm and twisted it as he pushed him away. “Don't say you have wooden stakes, big guy.”

“That was you on the police scanner, right?” Sam asked. “This is a trick.”

“Hello? Trickster.” Gabe motioned to his face. “Come on! I heard you two yahoos were in town. How could I resist?”

“Where the hell are we?” Dean demanded.

“Like it?” Gabe asked. “It's all homemade. My own sets—” he rapped on the window in a nearby door, then gestured to the frozen extras, “-my own actors.” He spun back around to face them. “Call it my own little idiot box.”

Amy smiled in amusement at the archangel. She had been waiting for this episode for a long time and it had finally arrived.

Gabe saw her smile and flashed her a quick wink.

“How do we get out?” Dean asked.

Gabe clicked his tongue. “That, my friend, is the sixty-four-dollar question.”

“Whatever,” Sam said. He turned to Gabriel. “We just, we need to talk to you. We need your help.”

Gabe seemed to think about the idea for a moment. “Hm, let me guess,” he said, pointing to Sam and Dean. “You two muttonheads broke the world, and you want me to sweep up your mess.”

“Please,” Sam pleaded. “Just five minutes. Hear us out.”

“Sure,” Gabe said. “Tell you what. Survive the next twenty-four hours, we'll talk.”

“Survive what?” Dean asked warily.

“The game!”

“What game?”

“You're in it.”

“How do we play?”

Gabe motioned to the fake hospital around him. “You're playing it.”

“What are the rules?” Dean asked.

Gabe raised his eyebrows and grinned, before vanishing in a burst of static. Around them, the extras began walking around as if nothing had happened.

“Oh, son of a bitch,” Dean swore.

A blonde doctor approached them. “Dr. Sexy? Dr. Sexy?” She walked past the hunters and they started to follow her.

The intercom crackled to life. “Paging Dr. Sexy. Report to the ER.”

“Oh, by the way. Talking with monsters?” Dean asked quietly. “Hell of a plan.”

Amy scoffed. “Yeah, that could have gone way better.”

Sam sighed. “Just, what do we do now?”

“You know what I'm doing?” Dean asked angrily. “Leaving.”

Dean turned to leave. Sam began to follow, but was stopped short by Dr. Piccolo walking up and taking another swing at him.

Sam quickly dodged the attack. “Lady, what the hell?”

“You are a brilliant, brilliant—”

Sam cut her off. “Yeah. A coward. You already said that. But I got news for you. I am not a doctor.”

Dr. Piccolo gasped. “Don't say that,” she said sadly. “You are the finest cerebrovascular neurosurgeon I have ever met, and I have met plenty. So that girl died on your table. It wasn't your fault. It wasn't anybody's fault. Sometimes people just die.”

Sam shook his head slowly. “I have no idea what you're saying to me.”

“You're afraid. You're afraid to operate again. And you're afraid to love.” Dr. Piccolo pushed past the hunters, sobbing as she walked down the hall.

Sam watched her walk away, before turning to Dean and Amy. “Yeah, we're getting out of here.”

They continued down the hallway. As they neared a room, a man stepped out into the hall. “Hey. Doctor,” he said quietly.

Dean stopped and turned to the man. “Yes?” he asked in a slightly annoyed tone.

“My wife needs that face transplant.”

“Okay. You know what, pal?” Dean snapped. “None of this is real, and your wife doesn't need jack squat. Okay?” He turned and continued down the hall.

Sam and Amy quickly followed. As they walked down the hallway, Amy heard a gunshot ring out, followed by Dean groaning.

Amy quickly turned to see the man run in the opposite direction down the hall, a small pistol in his hands. 

Dean dropped to his knees. “Real—it's real—”

“No no no, no no no no no—hey!” Sam said frantically as he knelt down with his brother. He quickly looked around. “We need a doctor!” he shouted.

Amy knelt down beside Dean, looking around as well. “Can we get some help over here?!” she shouted.

A group of doctors and nurses ran up to them with a gurney. They carefully loaded him onto it and started pushing him towards the operating room. Sam slowly stood up, unable to move as they wheeled his brother away for surgery.

Another doctor turned back to him. “Doctor are you coming?” she asked. “We need to get you prepped for the surgery.”

“Su-surgery?” Sam asked hesitantly. He slowly turned to Amy, then back to the doctor, and gulped nervously before reluctantly heading down the hallway.

Sam was quickly put into operating scrubs and gloves when he stepped into the operating room, but Amy was stopped short. 

“If you’re not a surgeon, you can’t be in here,” the doctor who had stopped her said.

Amy huffed. “Fine.” She stepped out of the room and moved to the window looking in from the hallway. 

Dr. Piccolo walked up to the window as well, staring lovingly at Sam. Amy rolled her eyes and glanced around the hallway. Something caught her attention in the corner of her eye and she turned to it to see Gabriel standing at the end of the hallway, waving at her.

With a grin, and a quick check to make sure Sam wasn’t looking, Amy broke into a sprint down the hallway. When she neared the archangel, she leapt up, wrapping her arms around his neck in a hug. 

“I hate you so much right now,” Amy said with a grin still plastered on her face, “and I hope you realize that.”

Gabriel let out a laugh. “Good to see you too, kiddo.”

Amy pulled away from the hug, checking back down the hall one more time to make sure Sam wasn’t there. 

“Let’s get you out of those clothes.” Gabe snapped his fingers and Amy found herself standing in her normal clothes, that she had been wearing earlier, again. “That’s better.”

Another brunette doctor walked past them. “Doctor,” she said to Amy as she walked by.

Amy didn’t reply. She rolled her eyes as the doctor walked out of view and glared up at the archangel.

Gabe snickered a bit. “Sorry, I had to,” he said. “But don’t worry. Feel free to just sit back and watch Sam and Dean play out roles in TV land if you want. I’ve actually got something fun planned for you later.”

“Oh?” Amy asked in amusement. “Can I ask what?”

“It’s a surprise,” Gabe told her. “You’ll find out soon enough though, don’t worry.” He leaned down a bit closer. “You ready to see something really funny?”

Amy smirked. “I have a feeling I know what you’re talking about,” she said. “And hell yeah I am.”

Gabe straightened back up. “Let’s see how good the boys’ Japanese is.”

The room started to spin around Amy. Lights started flashing in time with clapping nearby. Amy found herself sitting in the front row of an audience. She looked around at the cheering audience members, than turned her attention to the stage, where Sam and Dean, now dressed in more normal attire, were standing on hexagon shaped platforms. 

Sam and Dean’s feet were held apart by large boots secured to the platforms. A red buzzer sat in front of each of them and a pole with a ball at the end of it lay between their legs.

The blue doors behind Sam and Dean opened. Blue-lit smoke poured out onto the stage as a Japanese man, who Amy presumed to be Gabriel in disguise, ran out onto the stage, holding his arms out as the audience cheered. He was dressed in a shiny, silver suit.

The man said something in Japanese. “Let's play Nutcracker!” he finished in English, punching the air repeatedly.

The audience began to cheer louder. Amy looked around the stage some more. Next to Sam, on one side of the stage, was an LED screen with a large number twenty on it. Two women dressed in a red halter, mini-skirt, and knee-high white boots stood by the door the Japanese man had just come out of, laughing and cheering with the audience. 

The man said something in Japanese again, then pulled out a stack of cards from his jacket and turned to Sam. “Sam Winchester.” He asked something in Japanese, then pointed at the screen with the number. “Countdown.”

“What?” Sam asked.

The screen began to countdown from twenty. 

“Uh, what am I supposed to say?” Sam asked frantically.

“You think I know?” Dean asked. 

Sam turned to the host, who was strolling across the stage in front of him. “Uh, I, I don't, I don't understand Japanese.”

The host walked back in between the platforms and repeated the question. Amy watched the seconds count down, visibly cringing at what she knew was about to happen.

“Is he screwing with me?” Sam asked Dean. He turned back to the host. “I, I, I can't speak Japanese.”

The timer hit zero and a buzz filled the air. The host groaned. He held up the cards and said something in Japanese, before giving Sam the answer. “Ruby!” He bowed his head. “I'm sorry, Sam Winchester.”

“Sorry?” Sam asked. “Sorry for what?”

The host put a hand over his mouth to hide his laughter. Sam stood there, helplessly confused. 

“Dean?” 

Suddenly, the metal pole with a red ball between Sam’s legs sprung up, hitting him squarely in the crotch. Sam groaned in pain as Dean looked on in horror. Amy cringed even more at the scene in front of her. 

“Nutcracker!” the host shouted with glee, punching the air several times. “Nutcracker!”

“Sam?” Dean asked.

“Yeah?” Sam asked, groaning with pain as he spoke.

One of the women from earlier said something in Japanese to the host, who went over to her. They began showing off a bag of chips, talking as if they were in a commercial.

Amy stood up from her seat and ran over to the stage. “Sam are you okay?” she asked frantically.

Sam took a deep breath, then slowly straightened himself back up. “Mmm hmm.” He stayed hunched over slightly, taking several deep breaths.

A banging noise started coming from the doors behind Sam and Dean, while a light flashed on it.

“Oh now what?” Dean groaned.

The doors opened and Castiel walked out onto the stage as the audience cheered. 

“Cas?” Dean and Amy asked simultaneously. 

“Is this another trick?” Sam asked. 

“It's me.” The angel looked around at Sam, Dean, and Amy. “Uh, what are you doing here?”

“Us?” Dean asked. “What are you doing here?”

“Looking for you,” Cas explained. “You've been missing for days.”

“So get us the hell out of here, then!” Sam begged.

“Let's go.” Castiel stepped forward, raising two fingers to touch Sam and Dean on the forehead. Before he could reach them, however, he disappeared in a burst of static, like Gabriel had done earlier.

Dean looked around. “Cas?”

The hose walked back over to center stage. “No, no, no, no,” he said, waving a finger. “Mr. Trickster does not like pretty-boy angels.” He pulled out another card and turned to Dean. Amy sat back down in her seat.

“Dean Winchester.” The host asked another question in Japanese, then pointed at the timer again. “Countdown.” 

Amy watched frantically as the numbers began to count down from twenty again.

“What do I do, what do I do?” Dean asked frantically. “I don't wanna get hit in the nuts.”

“I don't know,” Sam stammered, “I, I, uh, just, uh-” he suddenly realized something, “-wait.” 

“What?” Dean asked.

“I played a doctor,” Sam realized.

“What?” Dean asked, nervously looking at the timer as it got closer to zero.

“In, uh, in  _ Dr. Sexy _ I played a doctor. I operated,” Sam elaborated.

“So?”

“So I played the role the Trickster wanted me to play,” Sam continued. “Maybe we should just go along with it.”

“Go along with what?” Dean asked.

“With the game! You know, we're on a game show, right? So just answer the question!”

“In Japanese?” Dean asked angrily. The numbers on the timer were in the last five seconds.

“Yeah!”

“I don't know Japanese!”

Amy frantically flipped her gaze between the Winchester’s and the timer. This was going to be a close one.

“Try!” Sam shouted.

“Dammit!” Dean hit the button just as the timer hit zero. He hesitated a bit, before opening his mouth. “ _ Kotaeha _ ... _ iesudesu _ ?” he guessed.

Amy stared in shock as Dean answered in fluent Japanese. 

The host examined the card, then looked back up at Dean. “ _ Sudesu _ ?” he repeated.

Dean nodded nervously. “ _ Sudesu _ .”

The host glanced down at the cards again and Amy found herself growing more anxious for Dean. He said something in Japanese and Amy saw Dean prepare himself for the upcoming pain.

Only it never came. “Dean Winchester, Nutcracker champion!” the host shouted with glee as he threw the two cards in the air. 

Amy breathed a sigh of relief as the crowd around her cheered. She quickly ran up to the stage. “I thought you didn’t know Japanese,” she said.

“I-I don’t,” Dean insisted.

“Then how did you do that?” Sam asked.

“I have no idea,” Dean admitted.

“So that's it,” Sam realized. “We play our roles, we survive.”

“Yeah, but play our roles for how long?” Dean asked.

“Good question.” Sam looked down at Amy. She didn’t know either.

Dean forced a grin and waved at the audience.

  
  


Amy suddenly found herself gasping in shock at the familiar, coral-themed console in front of her, complete with a human looking man with brown hair, blue suit, and red converse. The Doctor.

“What the hell?” Dean asked.

The Doctor looked up at them. “What?” he asked, looking up at them in confusion. “How did you get aboard my ship?”

“Oh, uh...” Sam trailed off.

“We got lost,” Amy replied quickly. “Uh, something was happening down on Earth. It’s all a bit of a blur now, to be honest, but I just remember seeing you run in here and I was panicking so I followed you.”

The Doctor studied her for a moment. “Well why didn’t you say anything earlier?” he asked. “Just hold on for a moment, I’ll get you back down to Earth in a jiffy.”

“Back down to Earth?” Dean asked. He strolled over to the doors and put a hand on the handle. 

The Doctor noticed what Dean was doing and quickly moved to try and stop him. “Uh, I wouldn’t do that if I were you!” he shouted.

Ignoring the shouts from the alien behind him, Dean swung open the TARDIS doors, revealing a gas nebula outside the doors.

Sam and Amy walked over to the open doors, staring out in amazement. The Doctor walked up to the three hunters and stood behind them. 

“We’re in space,” the alien explained.

“This is the coolest thing I’ve ever seen,” Amy breathed. 

“How are we still alive?” Sam asked.

“The TARDIS is protecting you,” the Doctor said.

“TARDIS.”

“T-a-r-d-i-s,” the Doctor spelled. “Time and Relative Dimension in Space.”

“It’s a spaceship,” Amy told Sam and Dean.

The Doctor nodded. “Right.” He closed the doors and ran back over to the console. “Right then! What part of Earth are you guys from?”

“Uh, Wellington, Ohio,” Amy said. “It was November twentieth, 2009 for us.”

The Doctor set the TARDIS for the location and date Amy had provided and put a hand on the lever. “You three might want to hang onto something,” he said.

Amy gripped the console itself, while Sam and Dean each grabbed something sturdy that was nearby. As soon as everyone was ready, the Doctor pulled the lever and the Tardis began to shake.

After a moment, the shaking stopped. The hunters straightened back up as the Doctor ran over to the doors and swung them open. “There you are!” he exclaimed. “Wellington, Ohio. November 2009.”

Sam and Dean hesitated at the door.

“Well go on then!” the Doctor urged.

The Winchesters finally stepped out of the TARDIS. Amy stepped out as well and they started walking down the sidewalk. 

Amy trailed slightly behind. As soon as she was able to, she ran back towards the blue police box and pulled the Doctor into a hug. “Thank you, Gabe,” she whispered.

Amy heard a laugh and she pulled away from the hug. Instead of the two-hearted alien she had just been hugging, Gabriel stood there.

“How did you know it was me?” Gabe asked.

“I’ve known you long enough,” Amy said. “I can just tell.” She turned to go catch up with Sam and Dean. “You’re awesome, Gabe. I’ll see you later.” 

Amy ran back down the sidewalk to catch up with Sam and Dean. As she did, her surroundings began to change once more.

  
  


Amy suddenly found herself back in their motel room, sitting on the flower-printed comforter. Everything seemed normal enough, but the room felt much brighter than the one she remembered being in that morning.

_ “Supernatural _ is filmed before a live studio audience,” Dean said.

Amy looked around in confusion. Dean’s voice seemed to be coming from all around her. She pointed to the ceiling. “Please tell me I’m not the only one that just heard that.”

A laugh track played around the motel room. They were still in TV Land and now appeared to be on a sitcom. 

Amy stepped into the kitchen to find a foot tall sandwich on the table and Dean leaning into the fridge, putting something away. 

Dean closed the fridge and turned around. Amy heard applause around the room as he walked closer to the sandwich. “I'm gonna need a bigger mouth.”

Another laugh track played.

The door opened and Sam stepped into the room. The invisible audience applauded again.

“Hey there, Sam,” Dean said gleefully. “What's happening?”

“Oh, nothing. Um. Just the end of the world,” Sam said in an over-the-top animated voice. The audience laughed and Sam’s gaze fell on the sandwich. “You're gonna need a bigger mouth,” he said campily. More laughter. “Hey, uh, have you done your research yet?”

Dean looked embarrassed. He turned towards Amy, who put her hands up and backed away. More laughter sounded.

Dean turned back to Sam. “Oh, yeah,” he lied. “All kinds of research. All night.”

“Yeah?” Sam asked, looking impressed. “Hm.”

The bathroom door opened and a dark-haired woman in a bikini stepped out. The invisible audience wolf whistled as she leaned on the doorframe. 

“Oh, Dean...,” the woman said softly.

Dean turned around to face her, looking as if he had just been caught stealing from a cookie jar.

“We have some more research to do,” the woman purred.

Sam folded his arms. “Dean...” Another laugh track.

Dean turned back around. “Son of a bitch!”

There was another laugh track and everything suddenly faded away again.

Amy suddenly found herself sitting on a park bench on the edge of a basketball court. Sam and Dean were on the court, with two other men, dressed in warm-up outfits.

Sam was wearing basketball pants and a gray hoodie. He made a basket and turned around, looking nervous.

“Seriously?” Amy heard him ask.

Dean, dressed in basketball pants and a blue, short-sleeved shirt, jogged up to him. “Hey, you're the one who said play our roles.”

“Yeah. Right.”

Amy snickered as Dean pointed to an invisible camera and clapped Sam on the back, before going back to the game.

“Oh, this is gonna be good,” Amy muttered to herself. 

“I've got genital herpes,” Sam said haltingly. He paused for a few seconds, before speaking again, looking a bit more uncomfortable. “But now I take twice-daily Herpexia to reduce my chances of passing it on.” Another pause and Sam, looking even more uncomfortable than the last time, spoke again. “I am doing all I can to slightly lessen the spread of—of genital herpes. And that's a good thing.” 

Amy couldn’t help herself. She covered her mouth as she shook with laughter at hearing the fake commercial. Sam glared at her, before turning back to the basketball court. The ball was passed to him and he took a shot, making a basket before the scene faded from Amy’s eyes again.

“We now return to  _ Supernatural _ ,” Dean’s disembodied voice said.

Amy found herself back in the brightly-lit motel room, standing in the exact same place she had been in before.

“Son of a bitch!” Dean exclaimed again. The invisible audience laughed and cheered.

Sam walked over to the woman, glaring over his shoulder at Dean. “Uh, I am really, really, very sorry, but, uh, we've got some work to do.” He escorted the woman to the open door.

“But we did do work!” the woman insisted. She stared lovingly at Dean as Sam walked her past. “In depth.” Another laugh track.

Dean waved at the woman as she left. Sam closed the door behind her and turned back to the room, shaking his head.

“How long do we have to keep doing this?” Dean asked through a forced smile.

“I don't know,” Sam said. “Maybe forever? We might die in here.” The audience applauded and laughed.

“How was that funny?” Dean asked them. He muttered under his breath. “Vultures.” Another laugh track played. 

“I’m honestly getting kinda ready to be done with all this,” Amy admitted. “As fun as it was in some cases.”

“Hey, at least you got to have fun,” Dean snapped. The audience laughed. “I got shot and Sam got hit in the junk.” The audience laughed again.

The motel room door opened back up and Castiel reappeared, sporting minor injuries on his face. The audience cheered as he stepped into the room.

“You okay?” Dean asked.   
  


“I don't have much time,” Cas said quickly.

“What happened?” Sam asked.

“I got out.”

“From where?”

“Listen to me,” Cas instructed. “Something is not right. This thing is much more powerful than it should be.”

“What thing—the Trickster?” Dean asked.

“If it is a trickster.”

“What do you mean?” 

Before Cas had a chance to answer Sam, he was flung backwards into the wall. The audience gasped and Gabriel appeared at the door.

“Hello!” Gabe said, jumping enthusiastically into the room. The audience cheered loudly. 

Amy quietly chuckled as the archangel walked into the room. Cas stood up, his face duct-taped shut.

Gabriel bowed at the fake audience. “Thank you. Thank you, ladies.” He turned to Castiel, who was glaring at him. “Hi, Castiel!” 

With a wave of his hand, Gabe sent Castiel off in another burst of static. 

“You know him?” Sam asked.

“Where did you just send him?” Dean continued.

“Relax, he'll live,” Gabe promised. “...Maybe.” More laughter from the audience.

“All right, you know what?” Dean snapped. “I am done with the monkey dance, okay? We get it.”

“Yeah?” Gabe asked, closing the space between him and Dean. “Get what, hotshot?”

“Playing our roles, right?” Dean asked angrily. “That's your game?”

Gabe clicked his tongue. “That's half the game.”

“What's the other half?” Sam asked.

“Play your roles out there.” Gabe gestured to the invisible audience.

“What's that supposed to mean?” Dean asked.

“Oh, you know.” Gabriel pointed at each brother in turn. “Sam starring as Lucifer. Dean starring as Michael. Your celebrity death match. Play your roles.”

Dean pointed to Amy. “What the hell is her role in all this?”

“She doesn’t have one,” Gabe said with a shrug. “But she came with you two to that paper mill so I figured I’d let her have a bit of fun.”

Sam scoffed. “You want us to say yes to those sons of bitches?”

“Hells yeah! Let's light this candle!”

“We do that, the world will end,” Sam reminded the archangel sharply.

“Yeah? And whose fault is that?” Gabe asked. “Who popped Lucifer out of the box? Hm? Look, it's started. You started it. It can't be stopped. So let's get it over with!”

Sam glared at Gabriel.

“Heaven or hell, which side you on?” Dean asked angrily.

“I'm not on either side.”

“Yeah, right.” Dean scoffed. “You're grabbing ankle for Michael or Lucifer. Which one is it?”

Gabriel took a menacing step forward. “You listen to me, you arrogant dick. I don't work for either of those S.O.B.s. Believe me.”

“Oh, you're somebody's bitch.”

Gabe’s smile vanished. He grabbed Dean by the collar and slammed him into the wall. “Don't you ever, ever presume to know what I am,” he said quietly. 

Amy took a step forward. She reached a hand out a tiny bit towards Gabriel, but decided against it, and pulled her hand away.

Gabriel turned back to Sam, holding Dean up with one hand. “Now listen very closely. Here's what's gonna happen. You're gonna suck it up, accept your responsibilities, and play the roles that destiny has chosen for you.”

“And if we don't?” Sam asked.

Gabriel grinned. “Then you'll stay here in TV Land. Forever. Three hundred channels and, uh, nothing's on.” He snapped his fingers again. 

Sam and Dean disappeared before Amy’s eyes, leaving her in the motel room. Gabriel was still in front of her, his arm up as if he was still pinning Dean to the wall. Amy could see a hint of anger in his eyes. She took a small step forward and put a comforting hand on the archangel’s shoulder.

Gabriel spun around to face her. “Sorry you had to see that,” he muttered.

Amy shook her head. “Don’t worry about it. Are you okay?”

Gabriel sighed. “I don’t know.” He leaned against the wall. “Sam and Dean are about to learn who I am, aren’t they?”

Amy nodded. “Yeah. I’m sorry.”

Gabe shook his head. “It’s not your fault. You kept my secret through all this. Besides, you warned me this would happen at some point. I guess I should have been more prepared.”

Amy gave the archangel a small smile and pulled him into a hug. 

Gabe hugged her back. After a moment, he pulled away.

“Where are uh, where are Sam and Dean now?” Amy asked.

“Cop show,” Gabe said. “CSI Miami to be precise. I should actually probably get you back to them before they worry too much.”

Amy nodded.

Gabe held up his hand to snap his fingers. “Oh, and, Amy? Thanks for keeping my secret.” With another smile, he snapped his fingers together and Amy found herself in a park at night. 

Dean was in a cop uniform near a tree, standing over a dead body. Dean was holding a bloody stake and Amy quickly realized that they had stabbed a guy, thinking it was the Trickster. She looked around, but couldn’t see Sam anywhere.

None of the other cops seemed to notice the murder that had just happened in front of them, except for another officer across the grass from where Amy stood. He started laughing and morphed into his usual look. “You've got the wrong guy, idiots,” Gabe mocked.

“Did we?” Dean asked.

Sam suddenly came up from behind Gabriel and stabbed him in the back with a stake. Amy started to run forward towards the Archangel, but quickly stopped herself. This wasn’t over. Not yet. 

The night sky disappeared and Amy found herself back in the warehouse they had driven to earlier that day. Sam and Dean were a few feet ahead of her, back in their normal clothes, standing above Gabriel’s fake dead body, which still had the stake through it. She quickly ran up to them.

The sound of Amy’s footsteps brought Dean’s attention to her. “Where have you been?” he asked.

“Nowhere,” Amy said, brushing him  off. “It’s not important.”

Sam and Dean exchanged a glance. Sam shrugged and turned back to Gabe. “We should get out of here,” he said. 

They hurried back out to the Impala. Amy trailed behind, looking back in time to see Gabe’s body flicker and vanish from sight.

It was dark out by the time they left the warehouse. Dean drove them back to the motel room and pushed the door open to reveal the dimly lit room, much darker than the sitcom room they had been in earlier. “I don’t know about you guys, but I’m beat,” he said. “What do you guys say we get some sleep and then head out in the morning?”

Sam and Amy nodded in agreement. Dean collapsed onto the bed, still dressed.

Amy pulled out a t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants from her duffle bag and disappeared into the bathroom. She quickly changed and headed back out. Stuffing her clothes back into her bag, she zipped it up and tossed it to the side, before climbing into the opposite bed and drifting off to sleep.

  
  


**November 21st, 2009**

Amy woke up the next morning to find the other bed empty. She heard Dean in the bathroom, brushing his teeth, but didn’t know where Sam had gone.

“Hey Dean?” she called out.

Dean stepped out of the bathroom, wiping his face with a towel. “Yeah.”

Amy indicated the empty room. “Where’d Sam go?”

Dean frowned. He turned around and looked around the room. “Sam? Where are you?”

There was no reply. Dean quickly grabbed the Impala keys and his phone. He dialed Sam’s number as Amy followed him out to the car. 

“Sam. It's me,” Dean said into the phone as he got in the car. “Where the hell did you go?”

Amy slid into the passenger seat next to Dean and he snapped his phone shut.

“Dean?”

Amy looked around the car. That was Sam’s voice that she had just heard, but he wasn’t in the car. “Sam?”

Dean looked around as well. “Where are you?”

“I don't know.” 

Sam’s voice seemed to be coming from the front of the car. Amy turned to the front to see a red light on the dashboard. 

“Oh crap,” Sam said. The light flashed in time with each word he said. “I don't think we killed the Trickster.”

“Crap.” Dean started the engine and pulled out of the parking lot.

“Dean?” Sam asked. “That tickles.”

Dean ignored him. “Okay, stake didn't work,” he said as they drove down the road. “So, what, this is another trick?”

“I don't know. Maybe the stake didn't work because it's not a trickster?” Sam suggested.

Amy shifted in her seat.

“What do you mean?” Dean asked.

“You heard Cas,” Sam said. “He said this thing was too powerful to be a trickster.”

“And did you notice the way he looked at Cas?” Dean asked. “Almost like he knew him.”

Amy shifted again.

“And how pissed he got when you brought up Michael and Lucifer.”

Realization crossed Dean’s face. “Son of a bitch.”

“What?” Sam asked. Amy turned to Dean.

“I think I know what we're dealing with.”

“What?” Sam repeated.

“I think we’re dealing with an angel,” Dean said.

Amy didn’t say anything. She turned away from Dean so he wouldn’t see his face and let out a shaky breath. They had figured it out. They were about to learn who the Trickster really was. Of course, that also meant they would find out Amy had been keeping a huge secret from them the entire time.

“Amy, you okay?” Sam asked. “I can feel you kinda shifting nervously around on the seat.”

Amy nodded. “Yeah,” she lied. “Yeah, I’m fine.”

“Okay,” Sam said skeptically. “Dean, do you really think we’re dealing with an angel?”

“It’s the only thing that seems likely right now,” Dean said. “And I know just how we can confirm it.”

  
  


Dean drove them to the Centennial Point Wilderness Area. He parked in a clearing near the bathrooms and turned off the engine, before getting out. Circling around to the trunk, Dean opened it up and pulled out the holy oil. 

Amy sat on a nearby bench and watched as Dean poured a large circle of holy oil on the ground in front of the car. When he was done, he put it back in the trunk and began rummaging around for something.

“Dean?” Sam asked.

“What?”

“That, uh, feels really uncomfortable,” Sam said uneasily.

Dean rolled his eyes and shut the trunk. 

“Ow,” Sam said. “You sure this is gonna work?”

“No,” Dean admitted, “but I have no other ideas.” He walked to the front of the car, stopping directly in front of the ring of holy oil and began shouting at the sky. “All right, you son of a bitch! Uncle! We'll do it!”

“Should I honk?” Sam asked.

Gabriel appeared in front of Dean. He walked past, examining the car behind the hunter. “Wow. Sam. Get a load of the rims on you,” he joked.

“Eat me,” Sam challenged.

Gabriel walked forward, directly into the ring of holy oil, and turned to face Dean. “Okay, boys. Ready to go quietly?” he asked.

“Whoa whoa whoa, not so fast.” Dean pointed back at the car. “Nobody's going anywhere until Sam has opposable thumbs.”

“What's the difference?” Gabriel asked. “Satan's going to ride his ass one way or another.”

Dean glared at the archangel. Gabe rolled his eyes and snapped his fingers. The red lights on the front of the car went out and the back door opened. Sam stepped out, glaring at Gabe as he closed the door and walked up to Dean. 

Amy stood up from the bench, walking a bit closer. 

“Happy?” Gabe asked.

“Tell me one thing,” Dean said. “Why didn't the stake kill you?”

Gabriel frowned. “I am the Trickster.”

“Or maybe you're not.” 

At Dean’s words, Sam held up a flaming lighter and tossed it on the ground. The holy oil ring around Gabe lit up in flames.

Gabriel looked around at the ring nervously. He discretely turned his head to Amy.

‘ _ They know, Gabe _ ,’ Amy thought, knowing the archangel could hear her. ‘ _ They figured it out on the way here _ .’

“Maybe you've always been an angel,” Dean said.

Gabriel laughed. “A what? Somebody slip a mickey in your power shake, kid?”

“I'll tell you what.” Dean smirked. “You just jump out of the holy fire and we'll call it our mistake.”

Gabriel laughed for a few more seconds, before falling into silence. 

_ ‘Sorry, Gabe _ ,’ Amy thought.

There was a burst of static and Amy found herself back in the warehouse with Sam and Dean. Gabriel stood in the ring of fire, clapping slowly. “Well played, boys. Well played.” He looked around at the ring. “Where'd you get the holy oil?”

“Well, you might say we pulled it out of Sam's ass,” Dean joked.

Amy rolled her eyes. “Cas got it from Jerusulum.”

“Ah,” Gabe said. He turned his attention back to Sam and Dean. “Where'd I screw up?”

“You didn't,” Sam explained. “Nobody gets the jump on Cas like you did.”

“Mostly it was the way you talked about Armageddon,” Dean continued.

Gabe tilted his head slightly. “Meaning?”

“Well, call it personal experience, but nobody gets that angry unless they're talking about their own family.”

“So which one are you?” Sam asked. “Grumpy, Sneezy, or Douchey?”

Gabriel turned to Amy. “You wanna take this one, kiddo?”

Amy stepped forward. She could feel Sam and Dean’s eyes on her. “You sure?”

Gabe nodded. “I think you’ve earned it.”

“You know who this is?” Dean asked, a hint of anger in his voice.

Amy nodded. She took a deep breath before looking up at the Winchesters and gesturing to the archangel. “This is Gabriel.”

Sam looked shocked. “Gabriel?” he asked. “The archangel?”

Gabe nodded his head. “Guilty.”

Sam turned to Amy. “And you knew?” he asked angrily. “This whole time, you knew?”

Amy took a step away and brought her gaze to the floor. “Yeah,” she admitted. “I did.”

“And you didn’t bother to tell us.” Dean scoffed. “Unbelievable.”

“Hey!” Gabriel snapped. “It’s not her fault, okay? I wasn’t ready for you guys to know who I was and Amy helped me with that.”

“And Gabe’s actually helped me out quite a bit as well,” Amy admitted quietly.

“Gabe?” Dean asked. “You call him Gabe?”

Amy nodded. She raised her head back up. “Gabe was the one that helped me figure out what happened to my birth parents,” she explained. “He’s the one that figured out my birth name and helped me regain control of my powers.”

Sam and Dean stared at her for a moment.

“Exactly how long have you known?” Sam asked.

“The whole time,” Amy said. “Since before I even met you guys.”

“She scared me a bit back at the Mystery Spot a couple years back,” Gabe added. “When she revealed she knew who I was. I thought she would tell you my identity right there, but she kept it hidden, because she knew I didn’t want you knowing.”

Dean scoffed. He stared at Amy for a few more moments, before turning back to Gabriel. “So, how does an archangel become a trickster?”

“My own private witness protection,” Gabe explained. “I skipped out of heaven, had a face transplant, carved out my own little corner of the world.” He pointed at Sam and Dean. “Till you two screwed it all up.”

“What did Daddy say when you ran off and joined the pagans?” Dean asked.

“Daddy doesn't say anything about anything.”

“Then what happened?” Sam asked. “Why'd you ditch?”

“Do you blame him?” Dean asked Sam. “I mean, his brothers are heavyweight douchenozzles.”

“Dean...” Amy said quietly, trailing off.

“Shut your cakehole,” Gabriel snapped. “You don't know anything about my family. I love my father, my brothers. Love them. But watching them turn on each other? Tear at each other's throats?” His voice was getting louder. “I couldn't bear it! Okay? So I left. And now it's happening all over again.”

“Then help us stop it,” Sam begged.

“It can't be stopped.”

“You wanna see the end of the world?” Dean asked in disbelief.

“I want it to be over!” Gabriel shouted. “I have to sit back and watch my own brothers kill each other thanks to you two! Heaven, hell, I don't care who wins, I just want it to be over.”

“It doesn't have to be like that,” Sam said quietly. “There has to be some way to, to pull the plug.”

Gabriel laughed. “You do not know my family. What you guys call the apocalypse, I used to call Sunday dinner. That's why there's no stopping this, because this isn't about a war. It's about two brothers that loved each other and betrayed each other. You'd think you'd be able to relate.”

“What are you talking about?” Sam asked.

“You sorry sons of bitches.” Gabriel chuckled. “Why do you think you two are the vessels? Think about it.” He gestured to Dean. “Michael, the big brother, loyal to an absent father, and-” he gestured to Sam next,”-Lucifer, the little brother, rebellious of Daddy's plan. You were born to this, boys. It's your destiny! It was always you! As it is in heaven, so it must be on earth. One brother has to kill the other.”

“What the hell are you saying?” Dean asked.

“Why do you think I've always taken such an interest in you?” Gabe asked. “Because from the moment Dad flipped on the lights around here, we knew it was all gonna end with you. Always.”

There was a long pause. Amy was too afraid to speak, terrified about what Sam and Dean might say. She turned to Gabe, who gave her a comforting smile.

Finally, Dean shook his head. “No. That's not gonna happen.”

“I'm sorry. But it is.” Gabe sighed. “Guys. I wish this were a TV show. Easy answers, endings wrapped up in a bow...but this is real, and it's gonna end bloody for all of us. That's just how it's gotta be.”

Silence filled the warehouse once more. Gabriel began rocking on his feet. “So. Now what? We stare at each other for the rest of eternity?”

“Well, first of all, you're gonna bring Cas back from wherever you stashed him,” Dean demanded.

“Oh am I?”

“Gabe,” Amy said. “Please?”

Gabe sighed and snapped his fingers. Out of nowhere, Castiel appeared, panting heavily.

“Cas, you okay?” Dean asked.

“I'm fine.” Cas turned to his brother. “Hello, Gabriel.”

“Hey, bro,” Gabe said cheerily. “How's the search for Daddy going? Let me guess. Awful.” 

Castiel glared as Amy saw Gabe’s face fall sadly. She wanted to pull him into a hug, but with the fire around him, she figured it wouldn’t be a good idea.

“Okay, we're out of here.” Dean turned away from Gabe. “Come on.” He started walking towards the door.

Amy stayed put, not wanting to leave the archangel alone in the ring of holy oil fire.

“Uh. Okay. Guys?” Gabriel called out nervously as Sam, Dean, and Cas got further away. “So, so what? Huh? You're just gonna, you're gonna leave me here forever?”

Dean stopped at the door and turned back. “No. We're not, 'cause we don't screw with people the way you do,” he said angrily. “And for the record? This isn't about some prize fight between your brothers or some destiny that can't be stopped. This is about you being too afraid to stand up to your family.” He pulled the fire alarm next to the door. “Don't say I never did anything for you.”

The sprinklers above them went off and the fire around Gabriel died down. As soon as it was safe to, Amy pulled the archangel into a comforting hug. “I’m sorry, Gabe,” she whispered.

“It’s okay, kiddo,” Gabe told her. “Are you okay?”

Amy chuckled. “Shouldn’t I be asking you that?”

Gabe straightened back up. “I’ll be fine. Soon as all of this is over and done with.”

Amy nodded. “I think I should probably get going, though,” she said. “Sam and Dean are waiting outside.”

Gabe nodded. “Stay safe, kiddo. I’ll see you soon.”

“You better,” Amy joked. She smiled up at the archangel, before heading outside.

Sam and Dean were standing by the Impala, waiting for her.

“Took you long enough,” Dean said.

“Gabe and I were talking,” Amy told him. “Sorry.”

Dean rolled his eyes. “Whatever, let’s get going.”

They climbed into the Impala and drove away. Amy turned back, watching the warehouse disappear from view, before turning back to the front as Dean drove them down the road.


	42. The Real Ghostbusters

**November 25th, 2009 - Burlington, Iowa**

Amy sat in the backseat of the Impala as Dean drove down the street. She had her headphones on as she listened to her music. 

Without warning, Amy suddenly found her head hitting the window next to her as Dean did a fast u-turn out of nowhere. She took off her headphones and leaned forward against the seat. "Ow. Why are we turning around, Dean?" 

"Chuck texted," Sam explained. "Said there's a life or death situation at the Pineview Hotel in Vermillion, Ohio."

"Chuck?" Amy echoed. “But it’s the middle of the night.”

“Yeah, well, if we drive through the night, we’ll get there by morning,” Dean said. “No point in staying in a motel for the night. Especially if it is life or death.”

Amy sighed. “Alright, then.” She leaned back in her seat and tried to fall asleep as Dean drove them back in the direction they had just come from.

* * *

**November 26th, 2009 - Vermillion, Ohio**

Early the next morning, they arrived at the Pineview Hotel. Dean squealed into a parking spot and they jumped out. 

Amy started to run through the parking lot, stopping short when she noticed the line of Impalas, identical to Dean’s, sitting in the parking spots next to his. 

“Dean, Amy!” Sam called, getting their attention. “Let’s go!”

Taking another look at the Impalas, Amy quickly kept following Sam and Dean through the parking lot. They sprinted to the front of the hotel, where Chuck was pacing around nervously.

**“** Chuck!” Sam shouted, getting the man’s attention. “There you are.”

Chuck looked up, feigning shock at seeing them. “Guys?”

“What's going on?” Dean asked as the hunters slowed to a stop.

“Ah, nothing,” Chuck stammered. “You know, I'm just kinda hanging. What are you guys doing here?” He flashed a quick look at Amy.

“You told us to come,” Dean said, clearly annoyed by the lack of sleep he had gotten.

Chuck shook his head. “Ah, no I didn't.” 

“Yeah you did, you texted me,” Sam insisted. “This address? Life or death situation? Any of this ringing a bell?”

Chuck sent another glance to Amy. 

Amy shrugged. “Don’t look at me, dude. I slept the whole way here.”

Chuck turned back to Sam. “I didn't send you a text.”

“We drove all night!” Dean shouted.

“I'm sorry, I don't understand what could...” Chuck suddenly stopped talking as realization crossed his face. “Oh no.”

“Chuck?” Amy asked. “Everything okay?”

“What is it?” Dean asked.

A high pitched squealing from the top of the stairs answered their question. “ _ Sam _ ! You made it!!”

“Oh, ah, Becky, right?” Sam asked uncomfortably.

Becky ran down to them. “Oh, you remembered.” She lowered her voice. “You have been thinking about me.”

Sam looked around, confused. “I...” he began to protest.

Becky cut him off. “It's ok, I can't get you out of my head either.”

“Becky, did you take my phone?” Chuck asked.

“I just borrowed it,” Becky said, turning to Chuck. “From your pants.”

Chuck sighed in frustration. “Becky...”

“What?” Becky asked. “They're going to want to see it!”

“See what?” the three hunters asked.

Becky gasped. “Oh My God. I love it when they talk at the same time!”

Amy looked over at Chuck in confusion. He shook his head and looked down at the ground.

A man holding a clipboard appeared at the top of the stairs. “Hey Chuck?” he called enthusiastically. “Come on pal, it's showtime.” 

Becky ran excitedly up the stairs, squealing with delight. 

Chuck sighed again and turned to the hunters. “Guys. I'm sorry,” he apologized. “For everything.” 

The hunters glanced at each other in confusion. Amy had a sinking feeling she knew what was going on, but she didn’t want to say anything just yet. They followed Chuck up the stairs and into the hotel.

Sam, Dean, and Amy entered the hotel last.

A man dressed identically to Dean walked past them, holding a stein of beer, and laughed. “Hey Dean, looking good.”

Dean looked the man up and down. “Who the hell are you?”

The man turned around. He was wearing the same jacket as Dean, as well as the amulet the hunter wore around his neck. “I'm Dean too. Duh.” He rolled his eyes as he turned back away.

Amy smiled slightly as the man walked away. It reminded her of all the cosplayers she had seen at the conventions she had gone to. Saving up for months to buy a ticket, and then saving even more up throughout the year so she could get to where the convention was and buy as much merchandise as she could fit into her suitcase. She’d met a lot of amazing people at those conventions.

“Uh-oh,” another voice said. “It's Sam and Dean. I'm in trouble now.” Amy looked over to see a guy in a scarecrow costume standing over Sam’s shoulder. He had a scythe in one hand and a can of soda in the other. “Have fun you two.” He waved the scythe in Sam’s face and screamed jokingly.

Becky giggled from behind them. 

Dean turned to Sam. “What?” he asked, astounded. 

Amy continued looking around the room. There were people dressed as bloody Mary, clowns, demons, and everything else they had ever fought. Amy saw a woman dressed as Bobby talking to a guy dressed as Ash. A merchandise table sat on one side of the lobby, filled with copies of the books and merchandise.

“Becky,” Sam said quietly. “What is this?”

“It's awesome!” Becky exclaimed. “A Supernatural convention, the first ever. “

Amy looked up at Sam and Dean to see them both looking around, completely confused. She snickered. “This is gonna be good.”

They walked into the auditorium. The man who had called Chuck inside earlier was standing on the stage by a microphone, waiting for everyone to file in.

The hunters stood near the back of the room, with Becky next to Sam, as the manager started speaking. “Welcome to the first annual Supernatural convention,” he drawled. “At 3:45 in the Magnolia room we have the panel, 'Frightened little boy, the secret life of Dean'. And at 4:30 there's the 'Homoerotic subtext of Supernatural.'”

Amy snickered again at the convention manager's words. She covered her mouth to stop herself from bursting out into laughter.

“Would you stop laughing?” Dean hissed.

Amy shook her head. “Nope,” she said with a grin on her face. “This is too good.”

“Oh, and of course the big hunt starts at 7 pm sharp,” the manager concluded.

The audience burst into cheers and applause. 

Cheers and applause from the audience. The manager raised a hand, quieting everyone down. “But right now, right now I'd like to introduce the man himself. The creator, the writer of the Supernatural books. The one, the only, Carver Edlund!”

More cheering broke out as Chuck timidly walked out onto the stage. He grabbed the microphone, waving awkwardly at the crowd. His gaze moved over to Amy. She tilted her head and smirked knowingly as if to say “really, dude?”

Chuck grabbed the microphone and feedback sounded through the head of it. “Ok,” he said quietly. “Ok good, this isn't nearly as awkward as I....” he trailed off and cleared his throat. He picked up a bottle of water and pointed to it. “Dry mouth.” 

Chuck took a very long drink from his water bottle as complete silence filled the room. When he finished, he placed the bottle on the stool next to him. “Ok. Uh...ahem. So I guess...questions?”

A wave of hands shot up throughout the room and Amy saw Chuck take a startled step back. He pointed to someone in the front row. “Uh....you?”

A skinny, young man stood up. “Hey, Mr. Edlund,” he said excitedly. “Uh...big fan. I was just wondering, where'd you come up with Sam, Dean, and Amy in the first place?”

Chuck looked back at the three hunters. Amy folded one arm across her chest and used it to prop her other elbow up as she rested her chin in her hand, waiting for the answer.

“Oh, ah, I...it just came to me,” Chuck answered nervously.

Amy scoffed as more hands shot into the air.

Chuck pointed to someone else. “Ok. Yeah. The hook man.”

A man dressed like the Hook Man stood up. “Ah yeah,” he said with a heavy German accent. “Why in every fight scene, Sam and Dean are having their gun knocked away by the bad guy?” he asked. “Why don't they keep it on some kind of bungee?”

“I...yeah, I really don't know,” Chuck stammered.

_ “Ja _ , follow up,” the hook man continued. “Why can't Sam and Dean be telling that Ruby is evil? I mean she is clearly manipulating Sam into some kind of moral lapse. It's obvious,  _ Nein _ ?”

Becky stomped down the aisle, clearly angry. “ _ Hey _ !” she snapped. “If you don't like the books don't read em, Fritz.”

Chuck held out a hand, trying to stop the tension. “Ok, Ok, just..okay, it's okay. so, next question.” Another hand shot up and he quickly pointed to it. “Yeah, you.”

“Yeah, at the end of the last book, Dean goes to hell. So, what happens next?”

“Oh. Well, there lies an announcement, actually. You're all going to find out.” Chuck looked over at the hunters again. “Thanks to a wealthy Scandinavian investor, we're going to start publishing again.”

Cheers and applause erupted throughout the auditorium. Next to Sam, Becky started jumping up and down, screaming. Amy looked up to see the mix of shock and anger on Sam and Dean’s faces.

When the room finally quieted back down, Chuck grabbed the microphone again. “Any more questions?” 

A couple more hands shot up and Chuck picked one. 

A woman stood up this time. “So, at the end of All Hell Breaks Loose, you introduced a character named Emily. She seemed to know a lot about Sam and Dean, but there weren’t that many mentions of her in the following books, up until Dream a Little Dream of Me, where she made another appearance and, at the end of it, joined Sam and Dean. And at the end of the Ghostfacers chapter, her name was permanently changed in the books to Amy.”

The mention of her name piqued Amy’s interest, and she brought her gaze over to the woman speaking. What exactly did people who read the books think of her?

“Uh, yes, what about her?” Chuck asked.

“What’s her deal?” the woman asked. “I mean, who exactly is she? Where did she come from? Does she have powers and if so, why doesn’t she use them more often.” She chuckled. “I mean, if I had the powers she had, I’d use them for everything I could think of.”

Amy saw Chuck glance over at her. She shrugged and he turned back to the woman. 

“Uh, well, there actually is a lot about Amy that I haven’t put into the books yet, but more about her will start to come out in the future books.”

“Why did her name change to Amy?” the woman continued.

“Uh, well, that, I actually can answer,” Chuck said. “Amy is her birth name. It was Emily when she lived in the orphanage, but when she learned her birth name, she decided to start going by that instead.”

“Huh.” The woman nodded slowly as she sat back down.

“Any more?” Chuck asked.

One more person raised their hand.

Chuck pointed to them. “Uh, yes.”

“Yeah, about Amy,” the woman dressed as Bobby asked. “She didn’t really seem to do anything to stop Dean going to hell at the end of the last book. Is she evil or something? I mean, why didn’t she do anything.”

Chuck glanced over at Amy again. She shrugged.

“I don’t really care,” Amy mouthed. 

Chuck nodded and turned back to the woman. “Uh, no, she’s not evil,” he said. “Look, Amy, when she met Sam and Dean, in my opinion, she was just scared and a little confused. You know she was in this new world, she knew a lot of stuff about Sam and Dean that not even they knew yet, and I think she just didn’t want to mess anything up, you know? I mean, has anyone here seen a movie, show, or read a book involving time travel?”

Murmurs of “yes” and “yeah”s sounded throughout the room. 

“Well, in Amy’s case, that was really happening, you know?” Chuck continued. 

  
  


After the panel was over, everyone filed back out to the lobby. Sam, Dean, and Amy followed them out, staying near the door so they could talk.

“Who the hell does this guy think he is, publishing our lives like this?” Dean snapped. 

“Dean, just relax, okay?” Sam said, trying to calm his brother down.

Dean turned to Amy. “And I’ll bet you know what this guy's deal is, right?”

Amy shook her head. “No,” she lied. “I don’t.”

Dean scoffed. “Yeah, like I’m gonna believe that.” He looked around the lobby. “Where the hell is Chuck, anyway?”

Sam pointed somewhere across the room as Amy brought her gaze to the floor. “I think I see him over there.”

Without a word, Dean started heading over to where Chuck was. Amy kept her eyes on the ground as she watched Dean’s shoes disappear. She felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up to see Sam still standing there.

“Come on,” Sam said quietly, “let’s go.”

Amy nodded and they followed Dean across the lobby.

Chuck was sitting at a small table with Becky. 

Becky’s eyes lit up as she saw them approach. “Oh, hi Sam!” she said, her eyes darting over to the taller Winchester.

Chuck looked back at them, a slight hint of disappointment in his eyes

“Excuse us,” Dean said to Becky. He turned to Chuck angrily. “In case you haven't noticed, our plates are kind of full, ok? Finding the Colt, hunting the devil. We don't have time for this crap.”

“Hey, I didn't call you!” Chuck protested.

“He means the books, Chuck,” Sam clarified. “Why are you publishing more books?”

“Um...for food and shelter?”

Dean leaned over Chuck’s chair. “Who gave you the rights to our life story.”

“An Archangel and I didn't want it!”

“Well, deal's off, ok,” Sam said. “No more books. Our lives are not for-” he glanced at Becky, “-public consumption.”

Becky slowly turned to stare at Chuck.

“Ah...Becky. Would you excuse us for just a second?” Chuck asked.

Becky nodded quickly. “Uh-huh!”

Chuck stood up and led the hunters into an empty hallway. “Do you guys know what I do for a living?” he asked.

Sam nodded. “Yeah Chuck, we know.”

“Then could you tell me? Cause I don't, all right? I'm not a good writer. I've got no marketable skills. I'm not some hero who can just hit the road and fight monsters, Ok? Until the world ends, I gotta live, all right? And the Supernatural books are all I've got. What else do you want me to do?”

A blood-curdling scream sounded up the stairs and Sam and Dean immediately took off towards the sound.

“No, guys...wait!” Chuck yelled.

Amy watched Sam and Dean disappear up the stairs. “That’s part of the con, right?” she asked.

Chuck nodded. “Yep.”

Amy sighed. “Great,” she muttered.

“Hey, I wanted to talk to you about something.”

“What’s up?” Amy asked.

  
“Is everything okay between the three of you?” Chuck asked. 

Amy nodded. “Yeah, totally,” she said quickly. “Everything’s fine, why?”

Chuck narrowed his eyes. “Amy, you know I can tell you’re lying, right?”

Amy sighed. “Sam and Dean found out about Gabe a few days ago,” she admitted. “And they found out that I knew who he was this whole time. I don’t know about Sam, but Dean hasn’t exactly taken it very well. He hasn’t said much to me since.”

Chuck sighed. “I was afraid of that happening.”

Amy shrugged. “It’s whatever, I guess,” she muttered. “Not much I can do about it now.”

Chuck nodded. “Well, if you need anything, just let me know. I could probably get Dean to talk to you if you want. I know he’s taking this whole Gabriel and you being friends thing a lot harder than Sam is.”

Amy flashed the writer a small smile. “Thanks, dude. I think I’m good for now, though.”

Chuck nodded again. “Alright. Well, like I said, just let me know. We should probably get back out there, though. Sam and Dean are back in the lobby looking for us.”

Amy let out a small laugh. “You’d think, after all this time, I’d get used to you saying stuff like that.”

“You’re still not used to it?”

Amy shook her head. “I don’t mean I’m not used to you being God and all that, cause believe me, I am. I mean when you say stuff like ‘Sam and Dean are doing this in another town right now,’ or ‘Dean’s gonna walk through the door in five seconds,’ I’m just like, ‘how could you possibly know...oh right.’.”

Chuck laughed. “Well, come on, then. We really do need to get back out there now.”

Amy nodded. “Alright, alright,” she said.

Amy followed Chuck back out to the hotel lobby. As soon as they were back in the lobby, Sam and Dean came walking up to them.

“There you guys are,” Sam said. “Hey listen, Ames-”

Dean cut Sam off. “Where were you guys?” he asked.

“Just-” Amy pointed back to where she and Chuck had just come from. “Just talking.”

“Talking about what?”

Amy turned to Chuck, giving him a confused look. He gave her the same one. They turned back to Dean.

“Nothing,” Amy and Chuck said simultaneously.

“Just random stuff,” Amy clarified. “Catching up while you guys ran off for a scavenger hunt.”

Dean nodded. “No secret identities I should know about?”

Amy shook her head. “No,” she said, a little angrily. She turned back to Sam. “Sam, what were you saying?”

“I gotta go, guys,” Chuck said. Amy looked up to see the convention manager waving him over.

Sam watched Chuck leave, before turning back to the others. “I thought he’d at least wanna hear this as well.”

“What?” Amy asked.

“It turns out there might be some actual ghosts in this hotel,” Sam finally said.

“What?” Amy asked with a bit more shock in her voice. “Why didn’t you just say that as soon as we came over? How many ghosts we talking here?” 

“Dunno,” Sam said. “Guy named Alex here said he saw something upstairs. Sounded like a ghost.”

“An actual ghost?” Amy asked. “Or just someone in a costume?”

“An actual ghost,” Dean said. “We need to figure out what’s going on in this hotel so, come on.” 

Dean led them past a group of people dressed like FBI agents and straight to the front desk. “Excuse us, mind if we ask you a few questions?” he asked the hotel manager.

The manager rolled his eyes. “Look, I don't have time to play  _ Star Wars _ guys. Go ask the guy in the ascot.”

Dean slid a fifty dollar bill across the desk. “Actually we ah...really want to talk to you.”

“Ok. You guys are really into this.”

Sam scoffed. “You have no idea.”

The hotel manager looked around, before sliding the money towards him and taking it. “What do you want to know?”

“All this stuff they're saying. This place being haunted. Leticia Gore. Any truth to it?” Sam asked.

“We generally don't like to publicise this to...normal people...but yeah.” The manager lowered his voice. “1909 this place was called 'Gore Orphanage'. Miss Gore, killed four boys with a butcher's knife, then offed herself.”

“And is tonight really her anniversary?” Dean asked.

“Yep, guess your convention folks want authenticity.”

“There been any sightings?” Sam asked.

The manager nodded. “Yep, over the years. A few maids have quit saying they heard the boys or saw them. A janitor even saw Miss Gore once.”

“Where did Miss Gore carve up the kids?” Dean asked.

The manager sighed. “Look, I don't want you stomping all over the joint. A lot of this place is off limits to nerds.”

Dean slid another fifty across the desk.

The manager leaned closer to them, lowering his voice. “The attic.”

They walked away from the desk and away from the crowd of people.

“I’ll go grab the EMF meter from the car,” Sam offered. “Keys?”

Dean handed the keys to the Impala to Sam. “Good luck trying to find the right one,” he joked.

“What?” Sam asked.

Dean shook his head. “Never mind. Just hurry up and get the meter.”

Sam hurried out of the hotel with the keys.

Off to the side sat the merch booth. Amy felt her attention being drawn to it. There were mugs, t-shirts, keychains, hats, books, and even socks on the table.

“You wanna get something from there, don’t you?” Amy heard Dean ask.

“No,” Amy replied quickly. “Yes. Maybe.” She groaned in frustration. “It’s so tempting!”

“You ever go to one of these back in your old world?”

Amy turned her attention over to Dean and nodded. “Yeah. I went to one or two. They’re so much fun, too.” She smiled as she remembered all the fun she had. “There’s karaoke parties every Friday night of the con, a live concert on Saturday where some of the cast sings along with the band that’s putting on the concert, meet and greets, and so much more. Tickets are expensive, but it’s so worth it.” Her attention turned back to the merch table. Each item seemed to be screaming “buy me!” to her.

Sam came back in with the EMF meter and three flashlights. “Everything okay?” he asked when he noticed Amy looking off in one direction.

“Yeah, she’s fine,” Dean answered for Amy. “Amy, let’s go.”

Amy turned back to the Winchesters. She took a flashlight from Sam and followed them up the stairs. 

The hunters made their way down a hallway towards another set up stairs leading up. They walked down a smaller hallway until they reached a crawlspace.

Amy crawled into the attic first. Once she was in, she turned on her flashlight and stood up. Various old items lay around the dark attic. Many of the items were covered in cobwebs.

Sam and Dean crawled in after her. Sam flipped on the EMF meter and it started buzzing loudly. “The EMF's going nuts,” he said.

Dean sighed. “Great. We got a real ghost, and we got a bunch of dudes pretending to be us poking at it.”

“Awesome,” Amy muttered.

“No way this ends well,” Sam said.

They started walking through the attic, shining their flashlights around the room.

“Yeah, well serves them right.”

“Dean...” Sam began.

“I'm just saying.”

“My mommy loves me,” a small voice said.

Amy spun around with Sam and Dean to see a young boy crouching down in the corner. He had his hands over the top of his head.

“I said my mommy loves me,” the boy repeated.

“I'm sure she does,” Sam said nervously. 

“My mommy loves me this much!” the boy moved his hand away from his head to reveal that he had been scalped, before flickering and disappearing. 

Amy stared at the spot the ghost had vanished from. “Well shit,” she said.

“We should go,” Dean spoke.

Sam and Amy agreed and they hurried out of the attic. They made their way back down to the bar and Sam pulled out his phone to make some calls and find out more about Letica Gore.

Amy sat at the bar with Dean as Sam paced around on the phone. She saw Becky sitting at a nearby table, eyeing Sam dreamily. Becky blew Sam a kiss and waved her fingers at him.

Sam waved awkwardly back. Chuck stood between Sam and Becky, moving his head back and forth as he watched the exchange. Amy saw him say "awesome" to himself and she snickered slightly. 

_ ‘Somebody’s jealous,’ _ Amy thought in a sing-song voice. She saw Chuck glare slightly in her direction and she snickered again, before turning back to Dean.

Sam hung up his phone and walked back over to Dean and Amy. “All right,” he said. “So that was a guy with the County Historical Society.”

“And...?” Dean asked, urging Sam to continue.

“Not only did Leticia Gore butcher four boys, but one of them was her own son,” Sam explained.

“She killed her own son?” Amy asked in disbelief. “That is beyond messed up.”

Sam nodded. “Yeah. According to the police at the time, she scalped the kid.”

“Oh that's it, I'm gonna deep fry this bitch extra crispy,” Dean declared. “Dude say where she was buried?”

“He doesn't know.”

Nearby, two men dressed as Sam and Dean began chatting.

“Check it out,” the guy dressed as Sam said, pointing to a map. He was making his voice deeper, trying to talk like Sam. “There's the orphanage, here's the carriage house, and right there... cemetery.”

Sam nudged Dean and the hunters began making their way over.

“You think that's where Leticia's planted?” the man dressed as Dean asked, his voice also a fake deep gravelly voice.

“It's worth a shot,” the first man said.

Sam reached out to touch the map

“Hey, hey!” the man dressed as Sam shouted in protest, his voice dropping down to its normal tone. The two cosplayers stood up as the one dressed as Dean grabbed the map.

The guy dressed as Dean reached for the map. “Hey, do you mind?” he asked, voice also going to normal. 

“It's real,” Sam told Dean and Amy. “A century old, at least, and he's right, there is a cemetery on the grounds.” He turned to the Dean cosplayer. “Where'd you get that.”

The Dean cosplayer folded up the map. “It's called a game pal. It ain't called charity.”

Dean reached for the map. “Yeah right. Gimme the map, Chuckles.”

“Yeah well you're the Chuckles, Chuckles. Besides, Dean don't listen to nobody.”

Amy rolled her eyes as the Dean cosplayer pulled back his jacket to reveal a plastic gun. “Oh no,” she said mockingly. “A plastic gun, I’m so scared.”

“You should be,” fake Dean said in his fake voice again.

“Dean! Cool it.” the Sam cosplayer said in his fake voice.

Dean pulled out his own, real Taurus, holding it out in the open.

“Dean!” Sam shouted, trying to grab the gun.

“What!” Dean snapped. “They're freakin' annoying.”

Sam turned back to the cosplayers. “Look, guys. We all wanna find the bones right? We just thought...it would go faster if we all worked together.”

The two cosplayers exchanged a glance. The one dressed as Sam turned back to them. “Ahem. We..ah...we get the Sizzler gift card,” he declared, voice returning to normal.

“Trust us, you can have it,” Amy said.

“And we get to be Sam and Dean,” the guy dressed as Dean said, voice also returning to normal.

Sam, Dean, and Amy exchanged glances. 

“Fine,” Dean said.

The Dean cosplayer pumped his fist. “Yes,” he whispered.

“What are your guys’s names?” Amy asked. “Real names.”

The Sam cosplayer pointed to himself. “I’m Barnes and this is Demian. Who are you guys?”

“I’m Amy,” Amy introduced. “This is Sam, and that’s Dean. And before you say anything, yes those are our real names.”

Barnes scoffed. “Uh huh. We’re still getting to be Sam and Dean during this though.” He turned to Amy. “You can still be the Amy from the books though.”

Amy shrugged. “Last I checked, I still was, but okay.”

Demian turned to Sam and Dean. “You guys can be Rufus and Bobby,” he said.

“Whatever,” Dean said. “Can we just get this over with?”

“Ames, can you stay here with them while Dean and I go grab the stuff from the car?” Sam asked. “We won’t take long.”

Amy nodded. “Sure thing.”

Sam and Dean left Amy standing alone with Demian and Barnes.

“So, are those guys really named Sam and Dean?” Barnes asked.

Amy nodded. “Yep.”

“And your name is really Amy?” Demian asked.

“Last I checked. It’s not an uncommon name, you know.”

Before Demian or Barnes could say anything else, Amy felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned around to see Chuck standing behind her. “Hey man, what’s up?”

“Whoa!” Amy heard Demian say behind her. “Aren’t you the author of the books?”

Chuck nodded meekly. “Uh, yeah,” he said, voice cracking slightly.

Amy jumped as Demian’s voice came from right next to her ear as he leaned over her shoulder. “And you know him?” he asked her.

Amy turned to the Dean cosplayer, mildly freaked out by how close he was.

“Yes, she does,” Chuck said quickly. “Now, if you two will excuse us, there’s something I need to tell her.” He quickly led Amy away from the two cosplayers.

“Thanks for that,” Amy said, sighing in relief. “What did you need to tell me?”

“I’ve been thinking,” Chuck began, “and there’s something I think you’re gonna wanna know, about your family.”

“My birth family?” Amy asked. “What about them?”

“They’re-” 

“Amy, ready to go?” 

Amy turned around to see Sam and Dean walking back over with a duffle bag. She turned back to Chuck. “Can you tell me later?” she asked. “We kinda gotta go deal with an actual ghost in the hotel right now.”

Chuck nodded. “Yeah, that’s fine.”

“Thanks, Chuck.” Amy nodded and hurried back over to Sam, Dean, Demian, and Barnes. “We heading out to the cemetery?” she asked.

Sam nodded. “Just waiting on you. Let’s go.” He picked the duffle bag up and led them out of the hotel.

They walked around to the back of the hotel towards a path that was dimly lit by the moonlight. Demian and Barnes walked ahead of them as the hunters trailed behind.

Demian turned back to look at them. “Hey, Rufus, Bobby, Amy, would you hurry it up?” he asked.

“Are you all right?” Sam asked Dean quietly.

“I'm trying to be,” Dean said grumpily.

Ahead of them, Barnes turned to Demian. “So where were we?” he asked.

“Ah, Dr. Ellicott and just zapped your brain,” Demian recalled.

“Right, got it.” Barnes cleared his throat and went into character. “Why are we even here Dean? You just following dad's footsteps like a good little soldier? You that desperate for approval?”

“This isn't you talking Sam,” Demian said in character as well.

Dean turned to Sam and Amy, silently asking how much longer they would have to put up with the two cosplayers. Sam frowned while Amy shrugged.

“Hopefully we get this over with soon,” Amy said quietly. Sam nodded in agreement.

“See that's the difference between you and me,” Barnes continued. “I got a mind of my own. I'm not pathetic.”

“So what are ya going to do Sam?” Demian asked. “Are you going to kill me?”

“Man I am so sick of you telling me what to do,” Barnes said.

Dean suddenly stopped in his tracks. “All right, you know what?” he snapped suddenly. “That's it. That is it.”

Demian turned back to them. “What's wrong Bobby?” he asked, voice dropping back down to normal.

Amy grimaced and shook her head. She was pretty sure she knew what was coming.

Dean stared at Demian with anger in his eyes. “I'm not Bobby, ok?” he finally said. He pointed at the two cosplayers. “You're not Sam. You're not Dean. What is wrong with you? Why in the hell would you choose to be these guys?”

“Because we're fans,” Barnes said in his normal voice. “Like you.”

Dean shook his head. “No. I am not a fan, ok?” he said angrily. “Not fans. In fact, I think that the Dean and Sam story sucks. It is not fun. It is not entertaining. It is a river of crap that would send most people howling to the nut house.” Dean’s voice was growing louder and angrier with every word. “So you listen to me. Their pain is not for your amusement. I mean do you think they enjoy being treated like... like circus freaks?”

Sam and Amy stood behind Dean listening awkwardly as he yelled at Demian and Barnes.

“Uh....I don't think they care, because they're  _ fictional characters _ !” Demian said, slowly emphasizing the last two words.

“Oh they care,” Dean said. “Believe me. They care a lot.” He stormed off down the path.

Demian and Barnes slowly turned to Sam and Amy, silently asking them what had just happened.

“He..uh...he takes the story really seriously,” Sam said quickly.

Amy nodded in agreement. “Very seriously,” she echoed.

Demian and Barnes exchanged a glance, each with a confused look on their face.

“Hurry up back there!” Dean shouted from ahead on the path.

The hunters and cosplayers hurried along the path after Dean. They quickly found the cemetery. They walked through the gate and Sam handed everyone a flashlight. 

Amy grabbed a flashlight and followed Sam and Dean towards the gravestones as Demian and Barnes headed off in the other direction. She shined her light on the gravestones, reading the names. She stopped at a gravestone that read ‘Franklin Elmers’ sitting in a row with three equally small gravestones sitting next to it.

Dean walked up next to her, shining his flashlight on the other gravestones. “We found the four boys,” he called out to Sam.

Sam stood in front of another gravestone a further distance away. “And here's Leticia Gore.”

Amy heard Demian clear his throat and drew her attention over to them. They were tiptoeing around the edge of the cemetery, shining their flashlights in the bushes. “Uh...” she said as she watched them in disbelief.

“Ah...what are you guys doing?” Dean asked.

“We're looking for bones genius,” Demian said in his Dean voice. “They gotta be around here somewhere.”

Dean rolled his eyes. “Ok. Generally, bones are in the ground.”

Sam walked over to Dean and Amy and dropped the duffle bag on the ground. He knelt down and began opening the bag.

“Yeah, I know that. I just....” Demian trailed off as Sam started pulling shovels from the bag. His voice returned to normal. “Wait, hold on. Are you guys serious?”

“Yep,” Amy said with a grin.

“Deadly,” Dean added.

“We're not really digging up graves you guys, we're just playing a game,” Barnes said hesitantly. 

“Trust us. You wanna win the game, right?” Dean asked.

Amy smirked as Demian and Barnes exchanged nervous looks. She took a shovel from Sam and the three hunters began digging up Leticia Gore’s grave as the cosplayers watched in horror.

* * *

Sometime later, the grave was dug. Sam and Amy had taken a break while Dean finished digging. They stood with Demian and Barnes around the hole and shined their lights in as Dean hit a coffin. The wind began to pick up as he lifted up the lid, revealing a skeleton.

“Wind’s picking up,” Amy muttered to Sam. “That can’t be good.”

“Keep your eyes peeled,” Sam instructed.

Demian gagged. “That's not a plastic skeleton. That's a... that's a  _ skeleton _ skeleton.”

“You just dug up a real grave,” Barnes told Dean. 

Dean nodded. “Yeah.”

“You guys are nuts,” Barnes said, looking around at the hunters.

Amy shrugged. “Little bit, yeah,” she said, laughing slightly.

“I thought you guys wanted to be hunters,” Sam said.

“Hunters aren't real, man.” Demian was starting to freak out. “This isn't real.”

Demian and Barnes turned and began walking away. 

“My God,” Barnes said as he and Demian walked out of the cemetery. “You guys have seriously lost your grip on this...” he trailed off as the two of them turned back to the hunters, freezing at the sight of something behind Amy and Sam.

“You guys okay?” Amy asked, genuinely concerned.

“Naughty, naughty, naughty!” a shrill voice said.

Amy turned just in time to see the ghost of Leticia Gore backhand Sam across the cemetery. “Sam!”

Demian and Barnes screamed and turned back to run out of the cemetery as Dean pushed himself out of the grave.

“Keep them safe!” Dean told Amy, pointing to Demian and Barnes.

Amy nodded and ran over to the two cosplayers as Barnes tripped and fell.

Demian turned back. “Barnes!”

Amy hurried over, helping Barnes to his feet. “Go!” she shouted. “Run!” She turned back around to see the ghost standing directly in front of her. Behind her, Demian and Barnes began screaming again. Thinking quickly, Amy reached out a hand. An iron rod flew from the bag, straight through the ghost, dispelling it as the rod landed in her hand.

Dean finished salting the bones and dropped a lighter into the grave. The grave lit up with flames and Amy turned back to Demian and Barnes, who were holding each other tightly. 

“Are you guys okay?” she asked.

Still shaking, Barnes nodded in response.

“Real enough for you?” Dean called over from the grave. Demian and Barnes turned to look at him, horrified at what they had just witnessed.

Amy turned back to Dean. “I’m gonna get these guys back inside the hotel,” she told him.

Dean nodded. “Get them a drink or two. They’re gonna need it.”

Amy nodded back and turned back to Demian and Barnes. “Let’s get you guys inside.”

She led Demian and Barnes back to the hotel as Sam and Dean stayed behind to clean up the grave. It was a slow walk, as Demian and Barnes were shaking with almost every step.

“Are you guys gonna be okay?” Amy asked, even more concerned when she saw the state the two cosplayers were in.

“Ye-yeah,” Barnes said shakily. “I just...” he trailed off.

“It’s a lot to take in,” Amy said, “believe me, I know. Don’t worry, though. It’s over now. You guys are gonna be fine.”

“You-” Demian spoke for the first time. “You made something fly into your hand from across the cemetery,” he said, looking up at Amy. “How?”

Amy sighed. She had secretly hoped they would have been too scared to notice that. “Amy’s...my powers from the books,” she began, “they’re real.”

“The books aren’t real,” Barnes protested as they began walking again.

Amy gave him a small smile. “Right,” she said, dropping the subject.

They reached the hotel and headed inside. Chuck was standing nearby, talking with the convention manager, but came over when he saw Amy with a still slightly shaking Demian and Barnes standing close to her.

“Why do these guys look like they just saw a ghost?” Chuck asked.

Demian and Barnes flinched at the word ‘ghost’ and wrapped their arms around each other.

“I-” Amy turned back to look at the frightened men, before turning back to Chuck. “Because they did,” she told him. “We got attacked out in the cemetery.”

Chuck’s eyes went wide. “There’s an actual ghost at the hotel?” he asked fearfully. 

Amy nodded. “Dean got rid of one, but I’m not sure if there are any more.”

“Can we, uh, get that drink now?” Demian asked.

Amy nodded at him. She turned back to Chuck. “I’m gonna get these guys something to drink,” she said.

Chuck nodded and Amy led Demian and Barnes over to the bar. She sat down on a barstool next to Barnes and ordered the two men a couple shots of whiskey, filled to the brim.

The bartender poured a shot of whiskey for Demian. He took it and quickly shot it down as the bartender poured a shot for Barnes.

“That was...really...” Barnes stammered.

“Awful. Right?”

Amy saw Demian jump at the sudden voice behind him and turned to see Sam and Dean standing behind them.

“Exactly,” Dean said, pulling out his wallet. “Round's on us guys.” He put a ten dollar bill on the bar before slapping Barnes on the shoulder.

“See you around,” Sam said.

Amy hopped down from the barstool and began following Sam and Dean towards the exit.

“Hey,” Demian said, stopping the hunters. “How'd you know how to do all that?”

Sam looked at Dean and Amy for a moment, before turning back to Demian and Barnes. “We..uh...We read the books.”

Amy smiled as Dean nodded in agreement. They turned back around and walked over to where Chuck had resumed talking with the convention manager.

“Hey Chuck,” Dean said as they walked up. Chuck turned around to face them. “Good luck with the Supernatural books, and screw you very much.”

Amy snickered as Sam and Dean turned away. “See ya, Chucky,” she said, turning around to follow the Winchesters.

"Oh, Amy," Chuck suddenly said. She turned around. "I still need to tell you that thing I was gonna tell you earlier."

"Oh!" Amy said as she realized she had almost left without hearing the news. "Right, yeah, what were you gonna tell me?"

"Your grandparents," Chuck said, "they're-"

Chuck was cut off once again as Sam walked back over to them. "We got a problem." Sam grabbed Amy's arm and dragged her away from Chuck.

"What's going on?" Amy asked, slightly annoyed that this was the second time they had been interrupted right before Chuck had gotten the chance to tell her what he needed to.

"Doors won't open," Sam explained as Dean tried to budge open a window.

Amy groaned. "Great," she muttered.

Dean tried to open a different window. Sam and Amy walked oved to him.

"Hey," Dean said as he saw them approach. "Anything?"

Sam shook his head. "Every exit's locked. Almost like..."

"Something's keeping us in?" Dean finished. He knocked his fist against the window in frustration.

"The ghost kids?" Amy asked.

"Could be," Sam said. "This is bad."

Dean rolled his eyes. "Gee ya think Sammy?"

Upstairs, a shrill scream sounded. The three hunters quickly ran upstairs towards the sound.

A woman dressed in vintage clothing ran out of a room, straight into the arms of Dean. "Don't go in there!" she shouted frantically.

"Get downstairs ok?" Dean instructed, pushing the woman towards the stairs. "Go go!"

The woman ran downstairs. Sam pushed open the door to the room she had run from to reveal a large library.

The scalped boy from earlier was crouched down in the corner, holding his head. "Why'd you do that?" he asked. "Why did you send my mommy away?"

"Ah, maybe because of the high and tight she gave you, huh?" Dean asked, pointing to his own head. "How bout some thanks."

Sam cleared his throat in a disapproving tone.

"Well, I'm just saying a little gratitude might be nice once in a while," Dean defended himself.

"My mommy didn't do this to me," the boy said.

"What?" Sam asked. "Then who did?"

The boy stared at them for a moment, before flickering and disappearing again.

Amy's eyes darted around the room and she anticipated an attack from the ghost. When none came, she turned back to Sam and Dean. "Now what?"

"First things first," Dean began, "we need to get everyone safe."

"We could put them in the auditorium," Amy suggested. "Where Chuck's doing his panel. Maybe he could keep them all in there for a bit while we get rid of these ghosts."

Sam nodded. "That'll work." 

"Yeah, but how are we gonna get everyone in there?" Dean asked.

"I'm sure we'll think of something," Amy said.

"I'll let Chuck know what we're doing," Sam suggested. He started heading for the door.

"I'll go with you," Amy said quickly, following Sam out of the room.

"You know, Dean probably could have used your help gathering everyone up," Sam said as they headed down the stairs.

Amy sighed. "I know," she said. "It's just...I think Dean might still be a little mad at me about the whole...you know and it just feels a little weird being alone with him."

Sam rolled his eyes. "You'll have to face him eventually," he pointed out.

"I know."

They reached the auditorium and ran inside. Chuck was back onstage, finishing up. "Well guys I guess we're out of time. So thank you for your incredibly probing and rigorous questions, and have a good..." he trailed off as Sam ran up onto the stage while Amy waited near the doors. "Hey," he greeted. Sam whispered something in his ear. "What?! Holy crap!"

The exclamation echoed around the room as Chuck spoke into the microphone. Murmurs of concern began sounding around the room as Sam covered the microphone. 

Sam continued talking to Chuck for a moment, asking for his help with keeping everyone in the room. They looked around the room at the concerned convention guests for a moment, before Sam patted Chuck on the shoulder and ran off the stage.

"Ok," Chuck said into the microphone. "So, ahh, good news. I got much more to tell you... I guess."

Dean opened the door and ushered everyone inside the auditorium. Sam hurried back out to the lobby to find some salt while Amy stayed behind to help Dean get everyone in the room.

"Buddy, I got work to do," the hotel manager said, clearly annoyed.

"You're gonna want to see this, trust me," Dean said. "It's gonna be a hell of a show."

Everyone filed into the room. The woman from earlier walked in last, looking pissed off. Dean and Amy closed the door and Sam ran up, holding a container of salt. They salted the door and took a step back to come up with a plan.

"Ah, what does the future hold for Sam, Dean, and Amy?" Chuck was asking on stage. "Well, how do you feel about angels? Yeah, because let me tell you, they're not nearly as lame as you think."

Dean turned to Sam and Amy. "Ok. New theory. The legends about Leticia are ass-backwards obviously."

Sam nodded in agreement. "Yeah. So all right, let's say those three orphans were playing cowboys and Indians."

"LARPing as cowboys and Indians," Dean corrected.

Sam rolled his eyes. "Whatever. And let's say they scalped Leticia's son and killed him."

"Then Ms. Gore finds out and freaks out," Amy continued.

Dean nodded. "Slices them and dices herself," he finished.

"If that's true it means we've got three bloodthirsty brats in the building."

Dean nodded. 'Yeah and Leticia was the only one keeping them under control."

Amy groaned in frustration. "Well that's great."

"Smooth move on our part," Sam agreed.

"Yeah, well we gotta get back to the cemetery, torch the kids' bones."

"How?" Sam asked. "We're trapped, we don't even have our guns! The ghosts are running this joint and they're only scared of one thing."

Dean's eyes seemed to light up. "Exactly."

Amy looked at him in confusion. "Dean?" she asked. "What are you planning?"

"The actor woman," Dean said.

Sam looked at his brother with a look urging him for more information. "What about her?" 

"She's dressed as Leticia Gore," Dean continued. "Maybe we can use that to our advantage." 

"How?!" Amy half whispered, half yelled. "Use her as bait?"

"We just need her to act for a bit," Dean clarified. "Get the kids to lower their guard a bit so we can get the doors open."

Amy nodded. "Okay," she said, looking over at the woman. "I guess now we just need to convince her to do this."

Sam walked over to the woman. He tapped her on the shoulder and she looked over at him. They talked for a moment, before the woman finally stood up and followed Sam back over to Dean and Amy.

"You want me to do what?" the woman asked.

"You're an actress. We just want you to act," Dean explained.

"I work at Hooters, in Toledo." The woman shook her head. "No, you can forget it."

"You'll be safe, we promise," Sam assured her. "This is really important."

Amy felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned to see Demian and Barnes standing behind her.

"We wanna help," Demian declared 

"What?" Amy asked.

"Just give her the puppy dog thing ok?" Dean told Sam. He turned to Demian and Barnes. "Guys, no."

"Why not?" Barnes asked.

"Cause this isn't make-believe," Dean snapped.

"Look, we know," Demian said. "We're not nuts. We're freakin' terrified."

"Yeah but if all these people are seriously in trouble, we gotta do something," Barnes added.

"Why?" Dean asked.

"Because," Demian began, "that's what Sam, Dean," he turned to Amy, "and Amy would do."

"Dean," Sam said quietly.

"You guys can help," Amy said before Dean could protest. "We'll need someone to burn the bones."

Barnes let out a shaky breath. "Okay," he said in a determined tone. "We can do that." 

"We just need to find a way to get you guys out there," Sam said.

"I think I should go out there with them," Amy said, turning to Sam and Dean. "Just in case a ghost shows up in the cemetery." 

Dean nodded. "Sounds like a plan." He turned to the actress. "You ready?" 

The woman nodded. "I think so."

"Then let's go." 

Everyone headed back out to the lobby. Amy headed over to the main doors with Demian, Barnes, and Sam, while Dean led the actress into another room to lure out the ghosts.

"Okay," Sam told them, "on three, try and force the door open. One, two, three!"

The four people ran at the door at threw themselves against it. The door didn't budge.

"Push it!" Sam shouted. 

Amy pushed on the door with her back as hard as she could. She turned around and tried using her powers for a short while as well. When that didn't seem to work, she went back to pushing with her back.

Finally, the door opened up a tiny bit. 

"Go go go!" Sam ordered.

Demian and Barnes squeezed through the opening and Amy quickly followed. The doors slammed shut behind them, locking them out.

Amy sighed. "Well, no going back now." She turned to Demian and Barnes. "You two okay?"

Demian and Barnes nodded. "We're fine," Barnes told her.

Amy nodded back. "Come on," she said. "We need to go grab the shovels from the car." 

They ran through the parking lot until they reached the Impala. As soon as they reached the trunk, realization crossed Amy's mind.

"Shit!" She turned to Demian and Barnes. "Did Dean give one of you guys the keys?"

Barnes shook his head.

Amy sighed in frustration. "Great."

"Should we try to get back inside?" 

"No, no, it's fine," Amy said. "Here, I can just..." She trailed off as she used her powers to unlock the trunk and pop it open. "Do that," she finished. She grabbed the duffle bag from the trunk and quickly closed it back up. "Let's go!" 

They hurried back through the parking lot towards the path that led to the cemetery.

Amy pushed open the gate to the cemetery and let Demian and Barnes go inside, before walking in after them. They walked over to the gravestones of the ghost children and she dropped the bag down on the ground and unzipped the opening, pulling out three shovels. 

Demian and Barnes took a shovel each. Amy began digging one of the graves and Demian and Barnes began following suit, digging a grave each.

"You really do have powers," Demian said from the grave next to Amy.

Amy stuck her shovel in the dirt. "I told you guys I did," she said. "And you saw me use them earlier." She picked her shovel back up and resumed digging.

"Yeah," Demian agreed, "but I kind of thought we were just seeing things from being terrified after we saw that ghost."

Amy shook her head. "Sorry guys. That was real."

"Oh my God," Barnes groaned from the furthest grave. "Supernatural makes digging graves seem so easy. It's not though. I'm gonna throw up."

"No you're not," Demian told him. 

"It just takes some getting used to," Amy added.

Barnes slowly turned to her. "That doesn't make me feel any better."

"Sorry," Amy apologized. She finished digging her grave and hopped out. "Alright, now we just need to-" 

Amy was suddenly cut off as something threw her across the cemetery. She landed in the grass next to a tree and lifted her head to see the ghost of one of the boys appear in front of her. 

"Oh my God!" Barnes shouted in terror.

"Get the salt!" Amy shouted. "You guys read the books, you know what to do!" She reached out her hand and the iron rod flew into her hand. "I'll hold off the ghosts!"

The ghost kid appeared again in front of Amy and she swung the rod through it, dispelling the ghost. She quickly glanced over at Demian and Barnes to see them pouring salt into the graves.

A different ghost appeared and Amy quickly dispelled it. Another look over at Demian and Barnes showed them struggling to ignite the lighter.

"How come DEAN can always light the stupid thing on the first freaking try?" Demian asked in frustration. "Come on!"

The first ghost from earlier appeared and Amy quickly dispelled it again. "How's it going back there?" she called out to Demian and Barnes.

Her question was answered as the ghost in front of her burst into flames, screaming as it was destroyed. She dropped the iron rod to the ground, breathing heavily.

Picking the rod back up, Amy made her way back over to Demian and Barnes. "Are you guys okay?" she asked.

Neither Demian or Barnes answered. They stared at the burning bones in shock, before slowly turning to look at each other.

"That was awesome and terrifying," Barnes finally said. 

Amy smirked. They waited for the flames to die down, before shoveling the dirt back into the graves.

* * *

The sun was starting to rise as they finished filling the graves back up. Amy ran to put the duffle bag back into the trunk of the Impala before they headed back inside the hotel to find everyone filing out of the auditorium.

Amy quickly spotted Sam and Dean and ran over to them. 

"Hey," Sam said as Amy approached, "everything go okay?"

Amy nodded. "We did get attacked by a ghost last night, but it wasn't anything I couldn't handle."

Dean nodded. "Good." He cleared his throat and exchanged a quick glance at Sam. "Listen, I, uh," he cleared his throat again.

Amy sighed. She knew what was coming. There was no avoiding Dean forever. "Dean, listen," she said, cutting him off, "I'm sorry, okay? I'm sorry I kept that huge secret from you, I'm sorry I didn't tell you about Gabe or-"

"Amy, hold on," Dean cut in. "I'm not mad, okay? And while I'm still not too happy about you being friends with this guy for so long, or keeping this information from us, I get it, okay?"

Amy gave Dean a small smile. "Okay."

"Good." Nothing more was said on the subject.

Dean walked over to Demian and Barnes to talk to them while Sam and Amy went to find Chuck. They headed outside the hotel, where emergency vehicles were lined up. A few people were talking to the police outside as the body of the German man from the beginning of the convention was put into an ambulance.

They spotted Chuck and Becky standing off to the side, holding each other's hands lovingly. Amy sat down on a small wall as Sam went over to talk to them. She saw Becky say something to him about something and Sam nodded awkwardly. Deciding to go over and see what they were talking about, Amy stood up and walked over to the others

"Ok," Sam was saying. He turned to Chuck. "Oh, hey. Chuck. If you really wanna publish more books, I guess that's ok with us."

Chuck's eyes lit up with excitement. "Wow. Really?'

Sam's expression quickly changed to a more serious one. "No not really. We have guns and we will find you."

Chuck nodded. "Ok, ok. No more books."

"See you around." Sam turned to head back to the Impala. 

"Oh," Becky suddenly said. She let go of Chuck's hand and ran after Sam, "Sam, wait, one more thing!"

Sam turned back around. 

"In chapter thirty-three of Supernatural Time is on my Side, there's that girl Bela?" Becky asked. "She was British, and a cat burglar."

Sam nodded. "Yeah I know."

"She stole the Colt from you and then she said she gave it to Lilith, remember?" Becky continued

Sam nodded again. "Yeah."

"Well you know she lied right?" Becky asked. "She didn't really give it to Lilith."

Amy frowned as she listened to the exchange. She was forgetting something, she knew she was.

Sam looked over at Chuck. "Wait, what?"

"Didn't you read the book?" Becky asked excitedly. "There was this one scene where Bela gives the Colt to a demon named Crowley. Lilith's right hand man. And I think her lover too."

"Crowley," Sam repeated the name. He turned to Chuck. "Didn't it occur to you to tell us this before? Or you?" he asked, turning to Amy last.

"It has been almost three years since I watched this show, Winchester!" Amy snapped. "Would you give me a break?" 

"And I didn't remember," Chuck added. "I'm not as much of a fan as she is."

Sam turned back to Becky. "Becky, tell me everything."

Becky gave Sam a huge smile and began laughing.

Amy turned to Chuck. She nodded her head in one direction and they walked over to an area away from the others. 

"Can you finally tell me what you've been trying to this whole time?" Amy asked.

Chuck nodded. "Right," he said. "I just thought you would want to know that your grandparents are-"

"Amy, come on, we gotta get going!" Sam called, getting her attention.

Chuck sighed in frustration. "Okay, you know what? That's it." He snapped his fingers and everything seemed to freeze around them.

Amy looked around at everything frozen in place around her. "What," she began, "did you do?"

"I just froze time for a bit," Chuck explained. "I really need to tell you this before we get interrupted again." 

Amy stopped looking around in shock and turned back to Chuck. "Well, what is it?"

"Your grandparents," Chuck began for the second or third time that night, "I just thought you'd want to know that they're still alive."

The words seemed to hit Amy like a brick. She took a step back in shock. "What did you say?" she said at barely above a whisper.

"You still have family that's alive in this world," Chuck repeated. "Your grandparents, the ones you met when Castiel sent you back in time, they're still alive."

Amy let out a shaky breath. "I don't- why are you just now telling me this?" 

"I had to be sure," Chuck explained. "There's a lot of people up in heaven. It's hard to keep track of who's up there."

Amy let out a more steady breath. "Where are they?" she asked. "I mean, can I go see them? Meet them again?"

"I think you seeing them again depends on if you can convince Sam and Dean to take you," Chuck said. "But they live in Lebanon, in the same house you met them in back in eighty-eight."

Amy felt a tear run down her cheek. It wasn't because she was sad, though. This was a happy tear.

"Are you okay?" Chuck asked, concern evident in his voice.

Amy wiped the tear away. "Yeah," she said, nodding quickly, "yeah, I'm okay. I promise."

Chuck nodded. "I'm gonna go ahead and unfreeze time now so you guys can get going. Are you sure you're okay?"

Amy nodded again. "I'm fine."

Chuck snapped his fingers and the outside noises around them resumed. Everything began moving around once more and people resumed talking, as if nothing had happened.

"Ames!" Sam called. "Come on, Dean's waiting."

Amy turned back to Sam and began to walk away. She stopped in her tracks, and hesitated for a brief moment, before turning back and running back to give Chuck a hug. 

"Thank you," Amy whispered.

Chuck hugged her back. After a brief moment, Amy pulled away again and ran after Sam. 

"What was that about?" Sam asked as Amy caught up to him.

"I'll tell you in the car," Amy said.

Dean was leaning against the Impala, lost in thought as he waited for Sam and Amy. Amy saw him smile slightly as they approached. She leaned against the Impala next to him as she thought about what Chuck had just told her.

"You ok?" Sam asked Dean.

Dean nodded. "Yeah, you know? I think I'm good."

"Well, you're not going to believe it, but I got a lead on the Colt," Sam said.

Dean frowned. "What?"

Sam chuckled. "Long story, I'll tell you on the way."

"What are we waiting for?" Dean asked. He turned to Amy, who was busy fiddling with her fingernails. "You alright, Ames?"

Amy nodded. "I'm fine. I just uh...found out something a little shocking."

"What is it?" Sam asked. "I saw you talking with Chuck when I came over to get you."

Amy took a deep breath and looked up at the Winchesters. "Yeah, he, uh, he told me something about my family."

Sam and Dean exchanged a glance. "What did he say?" Sam asked.

Amy looked down again. "It, uh, it turns out I still have family left alive in this world," she finally said. "My grandparents." 

"What?" Dean asked.

"Are you sure?" Sam asked.

Amy nodded. "It's what Chuck's been trying to tell me all day. The grandparents I met when Cas sent Dean and I back in time are still alive."

"Oh my God," Sam said breathlessly.

"You okay, kiddo?" Dean asked, genuinely concerned. 

Amy nodded as she felt another tear roll down her cheek. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Did Chuck tell you where they were?" Sam asked.

"Lebanon, Kansas."

Sam and Dean exchanged another glance. "If you want, we could take you to see them," Dean said.

Amy looked back up. "Really?" 

Dean nodded. "Well, mean, after all this is over, I mean," he clarified.

"Yeah," Amy said with a smile. "I'd really like that."

"Good." Dean nodded. "Now let's get out of here."

The hunters finally climbed into the Impala. Dean started the engine and pulled away from the hotel.

  
  



	43. Abandon all Hope

**December 1st, 2009 - Sioux Falls, South Dakota**

It took them a few days to find Crowley and come up with a plan to get the Colt. Castiel had been following clues on where the crossroads demon was since Dean had called him after they had left the Pineview hotel. Finally, they got a call one early morning, after spending the night in the Impala by the lake.

Dean put the phone to his ear. "Cas?" There was a long pause. "Going down?" Dean scoffed. "Right. Okay, Huggy Bear, just don't lose him."

Sam and Amy were leaning on the other side of the hood. They turned to look at Dean when he said those words, both wondering what the angel had said that had warranted that response.

"What's Cas saying?" Amy asked.

Dean put the speaker against his shirt and turned his head towards her. "He found Crowley making a deal nearby," he said. "Cas is following him right now." He put the phone to his ear again and listened to Cas speak again. "That's okay, you did great. We'll take it from here." He hung up the call and turned back to Sam and Amy.

"Well?" Sam asked.

"Crowley went to a place nearby, but Cas can't get in," Dean explained. "Says there's Enochian symbols all over the place so he can't get in."

"How close?" Amy asked.

"Few miles from here," Dean said. "It's just outside of town. We should head back to Bobby's. Come up with a plan to get inside and get the Colt."

They climbed back into the Impala and headed off towards the old hunter's house.

* * *

They reached Bobby's house a couple of hours later. Sam had called him on the way to let them know the current situation.

"So you three come up with a plan, yet?" Bobby asked when they found him in the study.

"Not yet," Dean said. "We need to make sure we do this right."

"Well angelic help is definitely out of the question with all that warding," Amy pointed out.

Dean pulled out his phone. "I'm gonna give Ellen a call. Maybe she and Jo can help us out with this." He dialed a number and put the phone to his ear and Amy sat down on the couch as he began to pace around the study.

"Ellen, hey," Dean said after a moment. "So, listen, we have a lead on the Colt. Cas found the demon who has it, but we need a plan to get in and get it. Do you think you and Jo could-" Dean stopped talking as he listened to whatever Ellen was saying. "It's just on the other side of town." Another pause. "Bobby's." Another pause. "Alright, thanks Ellen." The call ended.

"Ellen and Jo on their way?" Sam asked.

Dean nodded. "Ellen said they should be here soon."

Bobby grunted in response. "You three should start reading up before they get here. Figure out where exactly the devil is so you can put a bullet in his head."

The Winchesters and Amy exchanged a glance, before reluctantly grabbing a paper and sitting down to read.

* * *

Later that evening, Jo and Ellen arrived. Sam let them in and they all gathered around in the study. Amy noted that Jo was wearing a black evening dress.

"We could use bait to lure him out," Jo suggested.

Dean shook his head. "No, we're not using bait," he said firmly.

"Why not?" Jo asked. "It could work. I could pretend my car broke down and I need help or something and then, when this Crowley guy comes out, you guys kill him."

"You wanna use you as bait?" Dean asked in disbelief.

Jo shrugged.

"No," Dean said. "We'll think of something else."

"I think we should go with my daughter's plan," Ellen cut in.

"Yeah, I agree," Amy said. "Plus, we don't know how many demons are in that house. If we just sneak in, we're bound to be spotted."

Dean sighed. "Alright, fine."

Bobby rolled into the room, followed closely by Sam. "You four come up with a plan, yet?" he asked.

"We're gonna try to lure him out," Ellen said.

"We're gonna head out there tonight," Dean continued. "Jo's gonna go up, pretend she needs help with something, and then when Crowley's demons come out, you, me, and Amy'll kill them and then all of us will sneak into Crowley's house."

"You really think that'll work?" Sam asked.

"No," Dean admitted, "but I don't see any other options."

Sam nodded. "Okay. Guess we should get going, then."

"Yeah, let's." Dean stood up. "Ellen, why don't you stay here with Bobby? Jo can ride with us in the Impala."

Ellen nodded. "Alright. Just bring my daughter back alive."

"Yes, ma'am." Dean grabbed the keys to the Impala. "Let's go."

They headed out to the Impala. Jo got into the back with Amy and they headed off towards the future king of Hell's house.

It was only a few miles to Crowley's house. The house itself was huge with a black, gated fence surrounding the perimeter.

Dean parked the Impala down the street and turned off the engine. "You ready, Jo?"

"Yeah." Jo reached for the door handle. "Wait for my signal."

The hunters got out of the car. Sam took Ruby's knife while Dean and Amy grabbed shotguns and a can of red spray paint, and they all walked down the road towards the house. As they got near, Sam, Dean, and Amy crouched down into the bushes nearby while Jo approached the gate

Amy watched as Jo pushed a button on the intercom. A second later, she heard a voice coming through the speaker.

"Hello?"

"Hello?" Jo asked. "My car broke down. I—I need some help."

"I'll be down in a minute."

Jo turned away from the gate. A moment later, the gate opened up and two men approached.

"Evening, pretty lady," one of the demons said. "Get yourself on in here."

Jo shook her head. "I just need to make a call."

"You don't need to call anyone, baby," the demon said slyly. He glanced back at the other demon. "We're the only help you're ever gonna need."

Dean signaled for them to move and they slowly crept around behind the demons. Sam took the lead, brandishing the demon knife.

"You know what? I think I should wait by my car," Jo said, getting nervous. She turned back around to leave.

The demon grabbed her by the shoulder. "We said, get your ass in here," he snarled.

Jo shook the demon's hand off and threw him to the ground. Sam quickly ran up and stabbed the demon that was still standing through the neck, before stabbing the first demon as well.

"Nice work, Jo," Dean praised.

"Thanks." Jo took a bag from Dean and pulled out a pair of wire cutters. "Okay. Shall we?"

"Let's go," Amy said.

They crept around to the side of the house, stopping in front of a panel on the wall by the door.

"Okay," Dean said. He turned to Jo. "Give us a few minutes to get inside and draw the devil's trap, then cut the power and get back to the car. We'll meet you back there after we're done."

Jo nodded. "You guys got five minutes before I cut the power. Now go, hurry!"

Amy followed Sam and Dean around to the front door. They found the door already unlocked and quietly went inside.

They walked down a hallway, keeping an eye out for any demons. In the middle of the hall, they came across a decorative rug.

Amy stood watch with Dean while Sam used the spray paint to draw a devil's trap on the bottom of the rug. As soon as Sam was done, he stood back up, flipping the rug back down, and stood near Dean and Amy. He set the spray paint down on the floor, hidden from view, and took the demon knife back out.

The lights in the house suddenly went out. Jo had cut the power.

"Be ready," Dean whispered.

Amy cocked her gun, ready to fire it if she needed to. Her gaze caught the rug that Sam had put the trap under and she noticed that it was ruffled slightly. She quickly used her powers to straighten it back up again as a familiar demon she knew of all too well entered the room.

Crowley strolled into the room from the opposite side, skipping down a single stair with his hands in the pockets of his tailored suit.

"It's Crowley, right?" Sam asked.

Crowley stopped in his tracks. "So...the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew finally found me. Took you long enough." He started to walk forward, towards the rug.

Amy held her breath as she watched the demon approach, however, Crowley stopped just before the rug again. He glanced down at it, then lifted up the corner to reveal the devil's trap underneath.

"Do you have any idea how much this rug cost?" Crowley asked, straightening back up.

Amy suddenly felt her shotgun forcefully pulled from her hands as her arms were yanked behind her by a demon. Sam and Dean were disarmed as well and all three hunters stood there with their arms pinned behind their backs.

Crowley held up the Colt. "This is it, right? This is what it's all about."

Panic shot through Amy as she saw Crowley aim the gun at Dean's face. She relaxed slightly as the demon aimed his gun slightly away and shot the three demons holding them in the face.

The demons holding them dropped to the ground and Amy looked around, confused at what had just happened.

"We need to talk," Crowley informed them. "Privately." He walked away, leaving the hunters to follow him.

"What just happened?" Amy asked, voicing everyone's thoughts out loud.

They followed Crowley into another room.

"What the hell is this?" Dean demanded.

"Do you know how deep I could have buried this thing?" Crowley asked, setting the Colt on his desk. He waved a hand and the door slammed shut. "There's no reason you or anyone should know this even exists, except that I told you."

"You told us," Sam repeated slowly.

"Rumors, innuendo, sent out on the grapevine."

"Why?" Sam asked. "Why tell us anything?"

Crowley aimed the gun at Dean again. "I want you to take this thing to Lucifer and empty it into his face."

Amy frowned. Had Crowley always been on their side? She couldn't really remember.

"Uh-huh, okay, and why exactly would you want the devil dead?" Dean asked skeptically.

Crowley set the gun back down. "It's called survival. Well, I forgot you three at best are functioning morons—"

"You're functioning...morons..." Dean trailed off.

Crowley glanced at him. "Lucifer isn't a demon, remember? He's an angel. An angel famous for his hatred of humankind. To him, you're just filthy bags of pus. If that's the way he feels about you, what can he think about us?"

"But he created you," Sam argued.

"To him, we're just servants. Cannon fodder. If Lucifer manages to exterminate humankind, we're next." Crowley circled around his desk. "So, help me, huh? Let's all go back to simpler, better times, back to when we could all follow our natures. I'm in sales, dammit! So what do you say if I give you this thing, and you go kill the devil?"

Crowley held out the Colt to Sam, handle first. Amy glanced up at Sam and Dean as they glanced at her. Crowley wriggled the gun a little.

Sam hesitantly reached out and took the gun. "Great."

"Great," Crowley repeated, satisfied.

"You wouldn't happen to know where the devil is, by chance, would you?" Sam asked.

"Thursday, birdies tell me, there's an appointment in Carthage, Missouri."

Sam nodded. "Great." He put the barrel of the gun between Crowley's eyes and pulled the trigger. There was a click, but nothing happened. Crowley stared at them, unfazed.

"Oh, yeah, right, you'll probably need some more ammunition." Crowley stood up and walked to the other side of his desk.

"Oh, uh, excuse me for asking," Dean spoke, "but aren't you kind of signing your own death warrant? I mean, what happens to you if we go up against the devil and lose?"

Crowley looked back up at them. "Number one, he's going to wipe us all out anyway. Two, after you leave here, I go on an extended vacation to all points nowhere. And three," he raised his voice so he was now yelling, "how about you don't miss, okay? Morons!" He tossed something towards Dean, who caught it.

Amy kept her eyes on Crowley. He wriggled his fingers at her, before disappearing in a small puff of black smoke. She heard Sam sigh and looked over at them. Dean was holding open the container Crowley had tossed at him. Inside were bullets for the Colt.

"Well, that was..." Amy trailed off, "interesting."

"Let's get back to the car," Dean said. "Jo should be there."

They quickly left the room and headed out of the house.

Jo was waiting for them next to the Impala as they approached. "Took you long enough," she said. "You get the gun?"

Sam held the Colt up. "Yeah, we got it," he said.

"We didn't even have to take it," Amy said. "Crowley just kinda gave it to us."

"He gave it to you?" Jo echoed as they slid into the car.

"Yeah, it was weird," Sam said. "He just handed it over and told us to empty it into Lucifer's face."

Jo looked confused. "Huh," was all she said in response. "So where is Lucifer anyway?"

"Carthage, Missouri," Dean replied. "Crowley said he'd be there on Thursday."

"That's in two days," Amy realized.

"One day," Sam corrected. "It's after midnight."

Amy sighed as she leaned back in her seat. "One day," she repeated. "Tomorrow."

* * *

**December 2nd, 2009**

They arrived back at Bobby's house shortly after. Amy headed up to her room and closed the door. She kicked off her shoes and sat down on her bed, staring down at the floor. Tomorrow, Jo and Ellen would die, unless Amy could do something about it. She really didn't want either woman to die, but she also knew that there was only so much she could do.

Amy laid back on the mattress, setting her head on the pillow. She needed to get some sleep. They needed to come up with a plan for tomorrow, when they would go up against the Devil himself. Closing her eyes, she tried to drift off to sleep, pushing back the continuous thoughts in her head.

* * *

Sam, Dean, and Amy spent the rest of the next day looking for omens that might lead them to where Lucifer was.

Amy had a lot on her mind as she read through piles of papers. The Colt didn't work, that she did know. She also knew the Colt would eventually be useful so getting it was something the hunters needed to do, but what she didn't know was whether or not she should tell them that the gun wouldn't work. She couldn't remember for sure, but wasn't there something important that Sam and Dean found out when they confronted Lucifer.

Amy leaned back in her chair and looked out towards the kitchen where Jo and Ellen were talking and sighed. Jo and Ellen died in this episode, she was sure of it. She didn't want that to happen though. She wasn't sure how, but Amy knew she was going to stop it from happening.

"You okay, kid?" Dean asked, drawing Amy's attention away from the kitchen.

"What?" Amy asked.

"I asked if you were alright," Dean repeated. "You've been staring off into space for a while."

Amy gave Dean a small smile. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just thinking about something."

"What are you thinking about?" Sam asked, looking up from his laptop.

Amy opened her mouth to tell Sam and Dean what she knew about Jo and Ellen, but closed it. Telling them about Jo and Ellen's demise might not be the right solution. It could go wrong even in both scenarios playing out in her head.

On one hand, Sam and Dean might still bring Jo and Ellen along because they need more guns, and would tell them to be extra careful, which definitely wouldn't work. On the other hand, they would tell Jo and Ellen to stay behind, but Jo would sneak off and come with them anyway, leaving Ellen alive, possibly, while Jo died.

Amy shrugged her shoulders and shook her head. "Nothing," she said. "It's not important, anyway."

Dean went back to his papers. "Alright, then."

* * *

That night, Amy was still sitting at the table with Sam and Dean. Jo and Ellen were in the kitchen and Bobby was setting something up in the study.

There was a slight breeze and Cas appeared in the room.

"Hey, Cas!" Amy greeted.

Cas gave her a small nod. "Hello Amy." He turned to Sam and Dean. "Sam. Dean."

"Hey Cas," Dean said.

Ellen walked into the room. "So, this must be the angel I've heard about," she said. "Castiel."

"Hello Ellen," Cas greeted. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Likewise."

Jo popped her head out from the kitchen. "Hey, Castiel, come here, real quick."

Cas walked out of the study to see what Jo needed. Ellen followed and Amy was left alone with Sam and Dean in the study again.

Sam opened up a beer bottle. "It's gotta be a trap, right?" he asked.

"Sam Winchester, having trust issues with a demon." Dean chuckled. "Well, better late than never."

Sam scoffed. "Thank you again for your continued support."

"You're welcome."

Amy smiled slightly as Sam and Dean clinked bottles and took a drink of their beers.

Dean sighed. "You know, trap or no trap, we got a snowball's chance, we gotta take it, right?"

Sam nodded. "Yeah, I suppose."

"Besides, I'm not sure it is a trap. Check it out. I mean, Carthage is lit up like a Christmas tree with Revelation omens. And look at this." Dean pushed some papers closer to Sam. Amy stood up to get a better look at them. "There's been six missing persons reported, in town, since Sunday. I think the devil's there."

"Looks like it," Amy agreed.

Sam nodded again. "Okay."

"Look, when you think about it," Dean began slowly, "you can't come with."

Amy looked at Dean, confused. "What?"

Sam rolled his eyes. "Dean," he began.

"Look, I go against Satan and screw the pooch, okay?" Dean argued. "We've lost a game piece. That we can take. But if you're there, then we are handing the devil's vessel right over to him. That's not smart."

Sam scoffed. "Since when have we ever done anything smart?"

"I'm serious, Sam."

"So am I," Sam insisted. "Haven't we learned a damn thing? If we're gonna do this, we're gonna do it together." He looked over at Amy. "All three of us."

Sam turned back to Dean and the two brothers stared at each other for a moment until Dean looked away first.

Dean nodded. "Okay," he agreed reluctantly. "But it's a stupid frigging idea." His attention was caught by something behind Amy. She turned around to see Cas and Ellen sitting at the kitchen table with a line of upside down shot glasses in front of them. Jo stood over them, watching.

"Are you guys trying to get Cas drunk?" Amy asked, trying to hold back laughter.

Jo held up a beer bottle. "Trying being the operative word."

Amy chuckled in amusement as she turned back to Sam and Dean.

"Boy, talk about stupid ideas," Sam said.

"Good God. True, that," Dean agreed.

Amy stood up from the table and walked into the study to find Bobby setting up a camera on a tripod. "What are you doing?" she asked.

"The hell does it look like I'm doing?" Bobby asked.

Amy folded her arms and sat down on the desk. "It looks like you're about to force everyone to take a photoshoot. You want me to get some costumes or..."

"Idjit," Bobby muttered, "It's something to remember you all by."

"Yeah, well, count me out," Amy said. "I hate having my picture taken."

"Well, too bad, kid, you're doing it." Bobby continued fiddling with the camera. "Everybody get in here!" he shouted to the others in the next room. "It's time for the lineup. Usual suspects in the corner."

Sam walked in from one side of the room as Ellen entered from the other.

"Oh come on, Bobby," Ellen groaned. "Nobody wants their picture taken."

Sam scoffed. "Hear, hear."

"Shut up," Bobby said as Cas entered the room, looking confused. "You're drinking my beer."

Dean and Jo entered the room as Bobby finished setting up the camera and rolled his wheelchair back. Amy reluctantly got off the desk and joined the group in the corner.

"Anyway," Bobby continued, "I'm gonna need something to remember your sorry asses by."

"Ha!" Ellen laughed. "Always good to have an optimist around."

Being the shortest, Amy stood in the front, next to Bobby. Ellen stood behind her, between Cas and Jo. Dean stood behind Jo and Ellen, putting his arms around both of them and Sam stood in the very back with his arms around Cas and Dean.

"Bobby's right," Cas said as the timer on the camera counted down. "Tomorrow we hunt the devil. This is our last night on earth."

Amy sighed. "Way to kill the mood, Cas."

The camera flashed. Amy hadn't been smiling and she didn't think anyone else was either.

"We should get some sleep," Dean suggested. "We got a long drive ahead of us tomorrow and we gotta leave early.

Amy set the photo down. "Yeah, alright," she said, stretching her arms. "Night guys."

"Night, Ames."

Amy made her way upstairs. She stopped at the landing of the second floor and turned back to the group downstairs, focusing specifically on Jo and Ellen. She needed to come up with a plan fast to save them. She didn't remember how they died, but she did remember that Jo died first. Even if it meant dying herself, Amy would make sure that wouldn't happen.

* * *

**December 3rd, 2009**

Amy was woken up the next morning by a loud knock on her door.

"Get up," Dean shouted from the other side. "We gotta get an early start."

Amy groaned but reluctantly slid out of bed. "I'm up, I'm up. I'll be down in a sec, just gotta get dressed."

"Alright, well, hurry up. We're leaving in five minutes."

Retreating footsteps told Amy that Dean had left to go back downstairs. She made her way over to her dresser and threw on a pair of jeans and a black t-shirt along with her tennis shoes before checking to make sure her duffle bag was packed and heading down to join everyone.

"Ready to go?" Dean asked when Amy entered the room.

Amy adjusted the bag on her shoulder. "Ready."

Dean nodded. "Alright, Cas is riding with Jo and Ellen. Let's get going."

"You guys call if you run into any trouble," Bobby told them.

"Will do, Bobby," Amy promised. "See you soon."

Amy followed everyone out of the house. Jo and Ellen led Cas to their car.

"It's about an eight-hour drive," Dean informed Ellen. "Just drive behind us, we should get there by this evening."

The hunters climbed into their respective cars. Cas got in the backseat of Ellen's car and Amy got into the Impala with Sam and Dean.

Dean started the engine and they began the long drive to face Lucifer.

* * *

**Carthage, Missouri**

They reached Carthage by 5 p.m. The town seemed deserted. Several missing posters were tacked to a telephone pole.

Amy pulled out her phone. "I don't have a signal here," she noticed. "Do you guys?"

Sam and Dean pulled out their phones as Dean slowly drove down the street.

"Nothing," Sam said.

"Yeah, me either," Dean confirmed. He rolled down the windows and Amy stuck her phone out to try and get a signal as Sam and Dean did the same.

"You guys getting a signal?" Sam asked as they drove past a sign that said "ANTI-GOD IS ANTI-AMERICAN" on an American-flag background.

Dean shook his head. "No, nothing."

"Nothing here either." Amy pulled her hand back into the car and rolled up her window.

"Nice and spooky." Dean stopped the car and waved Ellen up next to them.

"Place seem a little empty to you?" Ellen asked.

"We're gonna go check out the PD," Dean declared. "You guys stay here, see if you can find anybody."

"Okay."

Dean continued driving down the street. They came across the police station at the end of the block. He parked the Impala in front of the building and they got out.

Amy looked up at the police station. The main entrance doors were almost torn completely off its hinges and many of the windows looked like they had been smashed. "Well, this looks promising," she commented dryly.

Sam handed her a shotgun and a flashlight. "Come on. Let's see if there's anyone inside."

The three hunters made their way inside the dark building. It was easy enough getting through the damaged doors. They squeezed through the narrow opening, only to be met with several overturned desks on the floor and lights dangling from the ceiling by a single wire.

Amy turned on her flashlight as Sam and Dean did the same. Dean signaled for Sam to go one way and Amy to go down the hall in front of them. They split up and Amy headed down the hall Dean had told her to go down.

Obstacles lined the long, dark hallway, but Amy made her way around them as she continued on. At one point, she thought she saw something move in the corner of her eye, but spun around to find nothing there.

Eventually, Amy reached the end of the hallway, not having seen any sign of anyone else in the building. She turned around and made her way back, meeting back up with Sam and Dean by the entrance.

"Find anything?" Dean asked.

Amy shook her head. "I don't think there's anyone here."

"Sammy and I didn't find anything either," Dean said. "Come on, let's get back to the others."

They headed outside and got back into the Impala. Dean drove them the other way down the street and they headed back to where they had left Ellen, Jo, and Cas.

Dean stopped the Impala along the curb and they got out to wait for the others.

A few minutes later, Ellen drove her car up next to them.

"Station's empty," Dean informed Ellen.

"So's everything else," Jo said.

"Have you seen Cas?" Ellen asked.

"He's not with you?" Amy asked.

Ellen shook her head. "Nope. He went after the reapers."

"Reapers?" Dean repeated.

"He saw reapers?" Sam looked around the empty street. "Where?"

"Well, kind of everywhere," Jo said.

Amy exchanged a glance with Sam and Dean. This was bad.

"Alright, everyone grab a shotgun," Dean ordered. "We gotta find Cas."

Ellen parked her car in front of the Impala and got out with Jo. Dean handed shotguns out to everyone. Amy made sure hers was loaded, before grabbing a few more rounds and putting them in her pocket. Once everyone was ready, the five hunters began walking down the street.

"Well, this is great," Dean muttered, "been in town twenty minutes and already lost the angel up our sleeve."

"You think, uh, you think Lucifer got him?" Sam asked.

"Maybe." Amy shrugged.

"I don't know what else to think," Dean added.

"There you are."

Amy recognized the voice instantly. She turned around with the group to see Meg standing behind them.

"Meg," Sam snapped.

"Shouldn't have come here, boys," Meg taunted.

"Hell, I could say the same thing for you." Dean aimed the Colt at Megs face.

"Didn't come here alone, Deano."

A puddle near Megs feet splashed and Amy heard several dogs growl and bark around them. She looked around for the source as her heartbeat began to get faster.

"Hellhounds," Dean said nervously.

"Yeah, Dean." Meg smiled. "Your favorite. Come on, you three. My father wants to see you."

"I think we'll pass, thanks." Sam shifted on the spot.

Meg shrugged. "Your call. You can make this easy or you can make it really, really hard."

Dean looked back at Ellen, who nodded. He turned back to the demon.

"When have you known us to ever make anything easy?"

Meg shook her head. Dean aimed towards the puddle and fired the Colt. Blood spurted from the hellhound next to Meg's feet.

"Run!" Sam shouted.

Amy spun around and took off in a sprint down the street as the other hellhounds took off after them. As they ran, she heard Dean scream and turned around to see him lying in the street, fighting off a hellhound that had tackled him.

"Dean!" Jo and Amy shouted in a panic.

"Jo, Amy, stay back!" Dean ordered.

Jo began firing her shotgun in Dean's direction. She kept firing, walking closer to Dean with each shot.

Amy heard something running towards them. Running towards Jo. Her feet were moving before she could come up with a plan. She ran towards Jo, shoving her out of the way just as the Hellhound reached her.

Jo fell to the ground, away from the attacking hellhound, but Amy wasn't so lucky. She let out a scream as the hellhound tore into her side and warm blood soaked through her shirt.

"No!" Dean shouted. "Amy!"

Amy heard gunshots as Sam and Ellen kept firing at the hellhounds. She felt Dean scoop her up off the ground and run down the street. They entered a building and Dean set her on the ground against the counter. Amy had her hands pressed against her side, whimpering at the immense pain.

Sam chained up the doors as Ellen dropped down next to Amy.

"Okay, okay, okay, okay, okay," Ellen repeated, "breathe now—"

"Okay." Sam finished chaining up the doors and walked over to them. He and Dean grabbed bags of rocksalt and began lining the doors and windows with them.

"Boys, need some help here!" Ellen shouted. She peeled Amy's hand away from her side as Jo knelt down on the other side of her. Blood began spurting out of Amy's side again and began pooling in the palm of her hand. She groaned in pain and put her hand back on the wound, pressing on it firmly.

"The hell were you thinking?" Dean snapped at Amy.

Amy shook her head. "I don't know," she admitted. "I don't know."

"Find me some gauze and bandages," Ellen instructed frantically.

Sam and Dean took off to find what Ellen needed.

"You saved my baby girl's life," Ellen said. "You..." she took a deep breath. "Thank you. You're gonna be alright now, you hear?"

Amy shook her head. "No I won't," she said quietly.

"Yes, you will," Ellen insisted.

Amy shook her head. "No, I won't. I know I won't."

"What do you mean, you know you won't." Jo asked.

"Because that hellhound would have killed you," Amy admitted. "I already know it would have."

"Be quiet now," Ellen snapped. "You couldn't have possibly known that."

Sam and Dean hurried back over with the bandages and handed them to Jo.

"I'm gonna have to remove your hand again," Ellen told Amy. "Get you bandaged up."

Amy nodded and Ellen peeled her hand away from the wound again. Amy began whimpering again as the pain began to worsen.

Ellen placed three big gauze pads against the large wound, before wrapping an ace bandage around Amy's stomach to hold them in place. "Sam, I need a bowl and cotton balls," she said.

Dean stood over Amy, tapping his foot nervously. After a moment, he walked over to a shelf and began fiddling with something on it.

"Gonna be all right," Ellen assured her.

Sam handed Ellen the bowl and some cotton balls.

"Thank you."

Sam nodded and walked over to Dean. They began talking about something that Amy couldn't hear.

Ellen began cleaning the blood off of Amy's face and around the wound.

"What did you mean earlier, when you said you knew you wouldn't be fine," Jo asked.

Amy opened her mouth, hesitating slightly. Did she really want to tell Jo and Ellen about their fate? It was now or never, she supposed. "I knew because...because I'd seen it before," she admitted. "I don't think I've ever told you guys this, but I'm not exactly from around here."

"Sam, some help here, please?" Ellen turned back to Amy.

"Not from around here?" Jo repeated.

Amy nodded as Sam walked over to them.

"What do you mean you're not from around here?" Jo asked.

"What do you need help with?" Sam asked.

"Keep cleaning her up," Ellen instructed. "I'll be right back."

Ellen and Sam switched spots. Sam began using the cotton balls and water to clean Amy up.

"Amy, what did you mean?" Jo repeated.

"What?" Sam asked.

"She said something about knowing she wouldn't be fine, and that she wasn't from around here," Jo explained.

"Amy don't talk like that, okay?" Sam snapped.

Amy shook her head again. "Sam, there's something you need to know."

"Save it, okay?" Sam asked. "Save it for when we get you healed up."

"Sam, no," Amy snapped, groaning in pain at the sudden violent movement. She turned to Jo. "When I said I wasn't from around here, I meant I'm from another universe. Where I'm from, all of what's happening right now, happened on a fictional TV show."

Jo looked up at Sam. "What?" she asked in disbelief.

Sam nodded solemnly. "She's telling the truth. We met Amy a few years ago. She's from the year 2016 and another universe where this is all a TV show."

"So, you knew about the hellhound," Jo realized.

Amy shook her head. "I forgot about that, to be honest. But I pushed you out of the way because..." she trailed off.

"Because what?" Sam asked as he dropped another cotton ball in the bowl.

Amy turned her head to Sam. "Because if I hadn't Jo and Ellen both would have died," she admitted.

Jo let out a shaky breath next to her as Sam stopped cleaning up the blood. "What?" she asked.

Amy turned to Jo. "I'm sorry, Jo," she said. "Really, I am."

"Ames, no," Sam snapped. "You're not going to die, okay?"

"Jo did when the hellhound attacked her in this episode," Amy argued. "Why the hell would I be any different?"

"I don't know," Sam admitted, "but we're not going to let you die, you hear?"

Dean and Ellen walked back over. "How's she holding up?" Dean asked.

"She'll be okay," Sam said reassuringly. "But, uh...Dean, I need to talk with you. Ellen, could you-?"

Ellen nodded, taking Sam's place.

Sam and Dean walked further away to talk. Amy couldn't hear what they were saying, but a moment later, she heard Dean shout. "What?" and walk back over to them.

"What the hell do you mean, Jo and Ellen were supposed to die?" he snapped.

"I'm sorry, what?" Ellen asked.

Amy sighed. "Jo and Ellen both died in this episode," she admitted.

Ellen turned to Dean. "Can she see the future or something?"

"No, mom," Jo corrected, "she's from the future. She and Sam both told me while you were over there."

"She's from another world too," Sam added. "Where all of this is happening on a TV show."

"So, you've seen all this before?" Ellen asked. "Without you in it, I'm guessing?"

Amy nodded. "Yeah. And I watched Jo die because of the hellhound that attacked her...that attacked me."

"Damn it, Amy!" Dean snapped. "How could you be so stupid?!"

"Would you rather, I had let Jo get attacked instead?" Amy asked. "Cause the way I see it, that might have been my only option!"

"You could have told us!"

"And how well do you think that would have worked, huh?" Amy asked. "If you had told Jo and Ellen to stay behind," she turned to Jo, "Jo I know I haven't known you for that long, but let's be real here. You would have protested about that and probably would have snuck along anyway. And if not, then it would just have been me, Sam, and Dean, and something much worse would have happened."

Amy could feel her legs going numb. She tried to move them, but her side hurt too much to do so.

Dean pounded his fists on the counter as Ellen let out a shaky breath. "So what?" he asked. "Now you're gonna die?"

Amy shrugged. She turned her head away from Dean. He was right, she knew he was. Cas was still missing and Amy was quickly bleeding out. Unless some miracle happened, it would only be a matter of time before she couldn't hold on any longer.

Dean shook his head and began pacing around. "No. No, that's not going to happen." He walked down the aisle in front of them. "Cas!" he shouted. "Where the hell are you? Amy's in trouble."

Silence filled the building as they waited for any sign of the angel. Nothing.

A random thought made Amy chuckle softly. If she died and went to heaven, she'd probably be the only person who knew God himself personally. Of course, Chuck could very easily bring her back to life like he did with Sam and Dean, but she didn't want to think about that right now.

Dean walked back over to the others.

"What are we going to do?" Sam asked.

"I don't know," Dean admitted. He began pacing again. Finally he stopped. "Shit," he hissed.

"What?" Sam and Amy asked.

"I can't believe I'm about to do this," Dean said, "but right now I don't see any other option."

"What are you talking about?" Ellen asked.

In response, Dean walked back into the aisle. He turned his head to the ceiling. "Gabriel!" he shouted to Amy's surprise. "We're in a department store in Carthage Missouri! We need help. It's Amy, she-" he let out a shaky breath. "She's in trouble."

"So, let me get this straight, you two find out who and what I am and you just think you can call me for help?"

Amy heard Gabe behind her, but couldn't turn her head far enough to see him.

Dean walked past Amy as he made his way over to the archangel. "No," he said, "but Amy's in trouble and Cas is nowhere to be found."

"Amy's in trouble?" Gabriel repeated. Amy could hear the worry in his voice. "Where is she? Did Lucifer get her?"

"No," Dean said. "She's over there, behind the counter."

Gabriel walked around the corner, finally coming into Amy's view. At the sight of her, he dropped down to his knees. "No," he said in a panic, "Amy."

Amy smiled weakly. "Hiya Gabe."

Gabriel looked up at Sam and Dean. "What happened?"

"She got attacked by a hellhound," Sam replied.

"She saved my life," Jo said at the same time.

Gabriel looked over at Jo and Ellen. "Who are you guys?"

"I'm Ellen, this is my daughter Jo. Who the hell are you?"

"This is Gabriel," Dean replied. "He's an archangel and friends with Amy."

"A hellhound went to attack me," Jo continued. "Amy pushed me out of the way, but she got attacked instead."

Gabe turned to Amy. "Playing hero now, huh?" he joked.

Amy smiled weakly again, before letting out another pained groan. She could feel herself getting weaker. It was getting harder to keep her head up and she had started to get extremely lightheaded earlier.

"Can you help or not?" Dean snapped.

Gabriel nodded. He turned back to Amy. "Let's get you fixed up, kiddo," he said softly.

Amy moved her hands away from the bandages. Gabriel pressed his hands against her side. "This might feel a little weird," he said.

Everyone watched as Gabriel's eyes began to glow and a bright light emitted from his hands. Amy's side felt like it was burning for a moment, before it died down and the pain stopped completely. Amy could feel her strength returning.

The light in Gabriel's hands went away and his eyes stopped glowing. He took his hands away from Amy's side and removed the bandages from around her. The large wound on her side was now gone and so was the blood. She lifted up the side of her shirt to see a large scar running down her side where the wound was.

The other hunters let out a sigh of relief.

"Told you you were going to be just fine," Ellen said.

Amy smiled at Gabriel. "Thank you," she whispered.

The next thing Amy knew, Sam and Dean were both at her side, pulling her into a group hug. After a short while, they pulled away and carefully helped her to her feet.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Dean asked.

Amy nodded. "I am, yeah."

Dean nodded. He turned to Gabriel, who was now standing next to Amy. "Thank you, Gabriel, really," he said. "We owe you one."

Gabe smirked. "I'll be sure to hold you to that, Deano."

"Now what are we gonna do?" Jo asked. "The hellhounds are still out there."

"Crap, you're right." Dean turned to Amy. "Anything you remember?"

Amy shook her head. "I think I remember something about a bomb, but that's it."

Jo looked around the store. "We got everything we need in here to build one." She started listing off items. "Propane, wiring, rock salt, iron nails."

"Yeah, but someone needs to set it off," Amy realized.

"Or," Gabriel spoke up, "I could fly you guys out of here."

"You'd really do that?" Sam asked.

Gabriel nodded. "I can get all of you guys out of here safely. Or, you guys build the bomb anyway and I'll set it off. It won't hurt or kill me and you guys can run out the back."

"A bomb won't kill the hellhounds," Dean pointed out.

"No, but it'll slow them down," Gabe said. "Look, I'm offering to help you guys here, which is something I don't usually do. I suggest you take it."

"Gabe's right, Dean," Amy said. "And right now it might be the best option we got."

Dean thought for a moment, then finally nodded. "Okay. Let's build a bomb."

The hunters got to work. They grabbed everything they needed to build the bomb and set it on the counter.

While Sam and Dean were working on building the device, Amy walked over to Gabe.

"Hey," she said quietly.

"Hey kiddo." Gabriel gave her a small smile. "Are you doing okay?"

Amy let out a sigh. "Well, I'm alive and not slowly dying on the floor anymore, so I say yes." She flashed the archangel a smile. "I can't believe you actually came when Dean called you."

"He said you were in trouble, otherwise I probably wouldn't have," Gabe admitted.

"Alright, we're ready," Dean announced.

Gabriel and Amy walked over to the group. Sitting on the counter was a small bomb, ready to be set off.

"We need to hurry up and get out of here," Ellen said. "This bomb will only give us a few minutes at most."

"We can head out the back," Jo said. "It'll be faster."

Dean nodded in agreement. He turned to Gabriel. "You still gonna do this?"

"Keep asking and I'll change my mind," Gabe challenged.

"Let's get going then."

"Gabe, meet us outside once the bomb goes off?" Amy asked.

"Sure thing, kiddo."

Amy followed Sam, Dean, Jo, and Ellen out the back of the store. As they ran down the street, a loud explosion could be heard from behind them. The ground shook violently and Amy turned around to see the store they had just come out of engulfed in flames.

"Whew!"

Amy turned to see Gabe standing behind her, covered head to toe in ashes.

"Guess we owe you two favors now."

"Don't mention it, Deano," Gabe said. "I've gotta get out of here." He pointed at Amy. "Keep her safe, alright?" In the blink of an eye, he was gone, leaving the hunters on the street.

"You know what?" Ellen interrupted. "Jo and I should probably get going."

"Mom!" Jo protested.

"Joanna Beth, don't even think about arguing with me!" Ellen snapped. "I just found out that you and I would have died tonight if that hound had attacked you. I'm not gonna risk anything else like that happening tonight."

Sam and Dean exchanged a glance. Finally, Dean nodded. "Alright, just be careful getting back to your car." He turned to Amy. "I've got half a mind to tell you to go with them."

"Dean, I'll be fine," Amy insisted. "But we're wasting time. We need to get going."

"She's right, Dean."

"Alright," Dean agreed, "Jo, Ellen, head back to Bobby's. We'll head back there once we're finished here."

"Good luck, boys."

Jo and Ellen headed one way down the street while Sam, Dean, and Amy took off running in the other direction.

* * *

They reached a field close to midnight. Sam led them through some bushes out of sight so they could get a good view.

Dozens of men were standing around the field. Off to the side, another man, who Amy instantly recognized as Lucifer, was filling up a hole on top of the hill.

"Guess we know what happened to some of the townspeople," Dean muttered.

Sam took a deep breath. "Okay."

"Okay," Dean and Amy repeated.

"Last words?" Sam asked.

"I'm good," Amy declined.

Dean looked at his brother for a moment. "I think I'm good," he said.

"Yeah. Me too."

Dean nodded. "Here goes nothing."

Amy followed Dean in one direction while Sam went in the other. They snuck behind Lucifer and hid behind a tree while Sam snuck up from the other side with his shotgun.

"Hey!" Amy heard Sam shout.

Sam approached Lucifer, readying his shotgun as he did.

Lucifer turned around, dropping the shovel.

"You wanted to see me?"

"Stay here," Dean whispered to Amy.

Before she could protest, Dean snuck off towards Lucifer, the Colt in his hands.

Lucifer sighed. "Oh, Sam, you don't need that gun here. You know I'd never hurt you. Not really."

"Yeah?" Dean asked. "Well, I'd hurt you."

Lucifer turned around and Dean aimed the Colt directly at his forehead.

"So suck it." Dean fired the gun and Lucifer collapsed to the ground. Amy sighed. She wished it could be that easy and that this could all be over here and now.

Sam and Dean stood over Lucifer's body for a moment. Finally, Lucifer inhaled deeply and shifted on the ground.

"Owww..." Lucifer groaned. He stood up, much to Sam and Dean's horror. "Where did you get that?" He asked Dean, before flinging him into the tree Amy was behind.

Amy let out a gasp, accidentally putting her foot forward. A branch under her foot snapped and Lucifer quickly turned his head towards her.

"And what do we have here?" the Devil asked. He waved a hand and Amy was thrown out from behind the tree. She hit a different tree further away and collapsed to the ground.

* * *

Amy wasn't sure how long she was out, but she woke back up to the sound of chanting. She slowly opened her eyes to see the men they had seen earlier standing around Lucifer.

"We offer up our lives, blood, souls—" the demons chanted.

"To complete this tribute," Lucifer said

To complete this tribute," the demons repeated.

Amy watched as the demons flashed gold and fell to the ground.

Lucifer turned to Sam, who was now surrounded by dead bodies.

"What?" he asked. "They're just demons."

Amy slowly stood up. Nearby, Dean got up as well. They made their way over to Sam and stood next to him, watching in horror as Lucifer stood over the mass grave.

The ground began to shake. Castiel suddenly appeared next to them and held a finger to his lips.

The next thing Amy knew, she was back next to the Impala with Sam, Dean, and Cas.

"Nice timing, Cas," Dean said with a smile. "Where the hell have you been?"

"Lucifer got me," Cas explained.

"I'm just glad you're alright," Amy said.

"We should get out of here," Sam pointed out.

"Cas, can you meet us back at Bobby's?" Dean asked.

Cas nodded. "I'll be there."

Amy climbed into the backseat of the Impala. Sam and Dean got in the front and they took off away from the town.

* * *

**December 4th, 2009 - Sioux Falls, SD**

They reached Bobby's house the next morning.

Dean led them inside the house.

Amy smiled when she saw Ellen and Jo both sitting at the kitchen table. "You guys are okay!" she said in relief.

"Glad to see you are as well," Ellen said. "How'd you three make out?"

Dean dropped the Colt on the table. "Colt didn't work," he said angrily. "All that was for nothing."

Bobby rolled his wheelchair in from the study. He made his way over to Amy. " _You stupid, stupid girl_!" he snapped. " _What the hell were you thinking pulling a stunt like that_?"

"I'm sorry, Bobby," Amy said meekly.

"You should be," Bobby continued angrily. "You could have died!"

Silence filled the house. Amy shifted on the spot. Bobby was right. If Dean hadn't made the decision to ask Gabriel for help, she would be dead right now.

"Bobby, she saved my life," Jo pointed out quietly.

"And almost lost hers doing it," Bobby countered.

"I really am sorry, Bobby," Amy repeated.

Bobby held Amy's gaze for a moment. After what seemed like an eternity, he let out a deep breath. "I'm just glad you're alright," he said quietly.

Dean flipped the TV on to the news station. The screen showed a tornado with a caption underneath it that read "STATE OF EMERGENCY, Paulding County" and "KOUA 16".

"Just received an update that the governor has declared a state of emergency for Paulding County," the news anchor was saying, "including the towns of Marion, Fetterville, and Carthage. The storm system has reportedly touched off a number of tornadoes in the area."

Bobby held up the photo they had taken a couple days earlier. Nobody in it was smiling because of what Cas had said just before the flash.

"Death tolls have yet to be estimated," the news anchor continued, "but state officials expect the loss of life and property to be staggering."

Dean turned off the TV.

"Why don't you get rid of that picture, Bobby?" Ellen asked. "We can take a better one now."

"For once, I'd actually be on board for another picture," Amy said.

Bobby looked at the picture once more, before tossing it into the fireplace. The hunters watched as it burned away.

"You wanna get the camera ready now, Bobby?" Ellen asked.

"You might as well because my willingness to take this photo will only last so long," Amy added.

"Give me a few minutes." Bobby rolled over towards the camera.

Amy heard the flutter of wings and looked over to see Cas standing in the room. "Cas!" she exclaimed.

"What took you so long buddy?" Dean asked.

"My apologies," Cas said, nodding his head.

Bobby continued fiddling with the camera. "Might as well get in the picture, Cas. Since you're here and all."

"You can stand next to me this time, Cas," Jo suggested.

"Everyone get in position," Bobby ordered. "Camera's almost ready."

The hunters and Cas got back in the corner they had taken the first picture in. Cas stood next to Jo with Ellen slightly behind him. Amy stood in the front, next to Dean, and Sam stood in the very back. Bobby rolled his wheelchair next to Amy.

As the timer ticked down, Amy felt Dean out his arm around her shoulder and Sam put a hand on her other one. She smiled as the flash went off.

After the picture was taken, the group disbanded. Ellen and Jo headed into the kitchen to talk, dragging Cas along with them.

Amy smirked as she watched them disappear into the other room. She sat down on the couch. Sam sat at the desk and Dean leaned against it. They exchanged a glance, before turning to Amy.

"So, we were thinking," Dean began, "after what happened last night, I think it only seems fair that I keep that promise I made to you a week ago."

Amy's face lit up. "You mean-?"

Dean nodded. "I'll take you to meet your grandparents," he promised. "Tomorrow, alright?"

Amy smiled. "I can't wait. Thanks, Dean!"

"Don't mention it, kiddo."

"Grandparents?" Bobby asked.

"Oh yeah, I guess we forgot to tell you," Amy realized. "Chuck told me that I still have family left alive in this world. My grandparents live in Lebanon."

Bobby stared in shock. "Huh. Well I'll be," he said.

"We'll go tomorrow," Dean repeated. "That sound good to you?"

Amy nodded. "Yeah, it does."

"Good."

Amy put her feet up on the couch and stretched out across it. She put her arms behind her head and looked up at the ceiling with a smile, excited for the day to end and the next one to come.


	44. Family Bonds

**December 5th, 2009 - Sioux Falls**

Amy woke up the next morning. They had finally come face to face with Lucifer a couple of nights earlier. Ellen and Jo were both still alive, but Amy had almost lost her own life that night. Everyone had lived that night, but Amy had a scar running down her side where a hellhound had attacked her. The Colt hadn't worked, just like Amy knew it wouldn't, but she didn't dare tell Sam or Dean that. They'd only get upset at her for almost dying for nothing that night when they could have just avoided it all.

Sam, Dean, and Bobby were in the study when Amy walked downstairs. Jo and Ellen had already left and gone back home the day before.

"Hey, kiddo," Dean said, looking up. "You ready to go?"

"Go?" Amy asked. She had to think for a moment, before suddenly remembering what Dean had offered to do the other day. "Oh, right! Yeah, I gotta pack real quick, and then I'll be all set."

Dean gave her a small nod. "Alright. We can leave here as soon as you're ready."

"I think I'll eat first and then go pack," Amy decided. She walked into the kitchen and poured out a bowl of cereal before sitting down at the kitchen table to eat.

She quickly ate her breakfast and put her bowl in the sink. "I'll be right back," she announced. She headed upstairs, taking two at a time.

* * *

Amy quickly threw some clothes into her duffle bag, along with anything else she might need, and headed back down.

"Ready?"

"Ready."

"Let's go, then."

"See you later, Bobby," Sam said.

Amy followed the Winchesters out to the Impala. Dean popped open the trunk, and they placed their bags inside. He closed the lid, and they climbed into the car.

Amy put her feet up on the seat as Dean pulled away from Bobby's house. "How far is Lebanon from here?"

"About five to six hours," Sam replied. "We should get there by this evening if we don't make any stops."

Amy nodded. She leaned back against the door as Dean drove down the road.

* * *

**Lebanon, Kansas**

They reached Lebanon around five that evening. Sam checked them into a room while Amy and Dean waited with the bags.

"So, how do you feel about all this, kid?" Dean asked.

"Nervous?" Amy guessed. "Excited? Both? I honestly don't know."

"You think they'll recognize you?"

Amy shook her head. "Maybe vaguely, but I doubt it. It's been twenty years for them since I met them but only a year for me. I told my parents who I was that night, but I don't know if they told my grandparents."

"What are their names?"

"April and James," Amy recalled. "They live down the street from this little pizza place that I went to that night."

"Well, I'm sure we can find that easily then."

Sam came back outside, waving the room key in the air.

"Let's go."

Amy picked up her bag while Dean grabbed his and Sam's. They followed Sam up to the room and headed inside. Amy dropped her duffle on the far bed and turned back to Sam and Dean, sitting down on the mattress.

Dean checked his watch. "Well, it's probably a little too late to go see your grandparents today," he said. "Why don't we go get something to eat for dinner, stay here tonight, and then we can go over tomorrow morning?"

Amy nodded. "Sounds good to me."

"I saw a diner not far from here when we were driving," Sam recalled.

Dean nodded. "Sounds good." He picked the car keys back up. "Who's hungry?"

Amy raised a hand as she stood up from the bed. "Me."

The Winchesters and Amy headed back out to the Impala and got in.

Dean pulled out of the parking lot and drove in the direction Sam directed him in.

They pulled up to a small diner just down the street. Dean parked in front of the building, and they headed in.

* * *

The inside of the diner was smaller than it looked on the inside. There was a large pizza oven behind the counter and barstools in front of it. Red leather booths lined the walls, and small tables sat arranged in the middle of the room.

Dean led them over to one of the booths, and they sat down. A waiter came over, holding three menus. He placed them in the middle of the table and pulled out a notepad.

"Welcome to Della's Diner," the waiter greeted. "My name is Dave, and I'll be your server this evening. Can I get you guys started with anything to drink?"

"I'll take a beer," Dean ordered.

"Water for me, thanks."

"I'll take a coke," Amy said.

Dave flashed them a smile. "I'll get those right out to you." He turned and walked back into the kitchen.

Amy looked around. "You know," she said, "I think this is the restaurant I went to in 1988. It hasn't changed a bit."

"So that means we're staying not too far away from your grandparents, right?" Dean asked.

Amy nodded. "If this is the same restaurant."

Dave came back with their drinks and set them on the table. He pulled his notepad back out. "Are you guys ready to order, or do you need more time?"

"I think we're ready," Amy said. "I'll have a cheeseburger, no onions, please."

"I'll take a cheeseburger as well," Dean ordered.

"Just a salad for me, thanks," Sam said.

Dave wrote down their orders and flashed them another smile. "Those will be ready for you in just a bit."

The waiter walked away again. Amy watched him disappear into the kitchen, before turning back to Sam and Dean.

"I can't wait for tomorrow," she said with a grin.

"You seem excited," Sam commented.

"Excited?" Amy echoed. "To meet members of my family who I recently found out was still alive?" She put on an unamused face. "No, Sam, I'm devastated. We should probably leave now."

"Well, if you insist," Dean said jokingly, pretending to stand up.

Amy laughed in amusement and shook her head.

Sam, Dean, and Amy continued talking until Dave brought their food out. Amy reached over and stole a french fry off of Dean's plate.

"Dude!" Dean protested. "You've got fries on your plate, eat your own!"

"Yeah, but fries you steal from other people always taste better," Amy argued as she ate the fry.

Dean rolled his eyes. Amy noticed him eyeing her fries and picked up a knife, holding the blade towards the table. "I won't hesitate," she threatened.

"So, you can take my fries, but I can't take yours?" Dean asked.

Amy sighed. "You can have one."

Dean reached over and picked up two fries that were stuck together.

"I said one!"

"They were stuck together," Dean defended. "That counts as one."

"Says who?"

"Says me."

Sam rolled his eyes. "The way you two act sometimes, if I wasn't Dean's actual brother and didn't know Amy, I'd think you two were actual brother and sister."

Amy stuck out her tongue at Sam.

* * *

They got back to the motel around eight. Amy took a quick shower, not bothering to brush her hair afterward. She slipped into some more comfortable clothes and headed back out of the bathroom.

"Did you curl your hair or something?"

Amy shook her head. "My hair curls a bit when I take a shower," she explained. "I just haven't brushed it yet."

Amy laid on her stomach on the bed and turned on the TV. She flipped through the channels until she landed on something that seemed mildly interesting.

"What are you watching?" Dean asked, walking over.

"I have no idea," Amy admitted. "But it's the only thing on right now."

"Hmm." Dean stood by the bed for a moment, before sitting down next to her.

They watched TV for a couple more hours while Sam worked on something on his laptop. Eventually, Amy began to get tired. She turned the TV back off and sat up, stretching her arms.

"I'm gonna head to bed," she said. "Night, guys."

"Night, Ames."

* * *

**December 6th, 2009**

Amy woke up the next morning around 9 a.m. Dean was sitting at the table, talking to someone on his phone as she climbed out of her bed. Sam sat next to him, doing something on his laptop, just like he had the night before.

"Everything okay?" she asked as Dean ended the call.

"Yeah," Dean said. "That was just Ellen calling to make sure you were okay." He placed his phone on the table and picked up a paper bag on the table. "Got you a bagel from down the street. Eat up, and then we'll head over to meet your grandparents."

Amy nodded in agreement, and Dean tossed over the bag. She pulled out the bagel and turned the TV on as she ate.

After eating, Amy headed into the bathroom to quickly get dressed and run a brush through her hair. She pulled on her shoes and headed back out to Sam and Dean.

"Ready to go?" Dean asked.

Amy nodded. "Ready."

"Why don't you guys go without me?" Sam asked.

Amy and Dean exchanged a glance.

"You don't wanna come with?" Amy asked.

Sam shook his head. "You guys go. I don't mind."

Amy glanced back over at Dean. He stared at his brother for a moment, before sighing and picking up the keys. "If you insist. Let's go, Ames."

Dean led Amy down to the Impala. She slid into the passenger seat, and Dean pulled out of the parking lot and began driving in the direction of the diner they had eaten the night before.

"You said it's down the street from a pizza place, right?"

Amy watched the buildings pass by her window. "Yeah, it is. It's this white, two-story, suburban house." She turned to Dean. "I'll know it when I see it."

Dean nodded and turned his and turned his attention back to the road. Amy turned hers back out the passenger side window.

* * *

About ten minutes later, Amy spotted a house that looked very familiar. She pointed at it and turned to Dean. "That's it!"

"You sure?"

"I'm pretty sure, yeah," Amy confirmed. "I recognize it pretty clearly."

Dean pulled the Impala against the curb and turned off the engine.

"I think you should do this yourself," Dean said. "I'll wait in the car for you. Just come get me if you need anything."

Amy nodded. "Okay." She got out of the car and turned to the house.

The house was just like Amy remembered, with a bit more age showing on the wooden porch steps and walls.

Amy took another deep breath and made her way down the pathway. She walked up the porch steps, stopping just before the front door. Raising a hesitant hand, she pushed the doorbell.

'No going back now,' she thought.

The door opened up, and an elderly woman appeared in the doorway.

Amy felt her voice catch in her throat. The woman looked exactly as she remembered, with a few differences. Her face was more wrinkled and the brown, curly hair that Amy remembered from that night was now gray and straighter.

"Can I help you?" the woman asked.

Amy shook herself out of her thoughts. "Are you April Jones?" she asked.

The woman nodded. "Is there something I can help you with?"

"Um..." Amy trailed off, hesitating slightly. "This is gonna sound weird, and I know you probably won't believe me, but my name is Amelia Jones. My parents were Jessica and Henry. I'm your granddaughter."

April stared at her for a moment, eyes glaring. "This isn't funny," she said. "Don't come back here again."

The door began to close, but Amy quickly stepped forward. "I was born on January 18th, 1989," she explained quickly. "When I was only a few months old, my parents were killed by a demon, but I survived."

Amy paused briefly before continuing. "I've met you guys before," she admitted.

April looked Amy up and down. As she did, a hint of realization seemed to show on her face. "I have met you before," she said. "About twenty years ago. You came here with my daughter and husband one night."

Amy nodded. "That's right."

"You look exactly the same."

Amy sighed. "Yeah. Uh, time travel. An angel named Castiel had sent me back to that year. For me, it's only been a year or so since I met you guys for the first time."

April stepped out of the house, closing the door behind her. She looked Amy up and down, studying her.

Finally, to Amy's surprise, April let out a shaky breath and pulled her into a hug. "I thought you died like your parents," she whispered. "How on earth did you survive?"

"I'm not entirely sure, to be honest," Amy said. She didn't feel like it would be a good idea to tell her grandmother that she survived because she had been sent to another world. "All I really know if I grew up in an orphanage and lived there until a few years ago." She took a breath. "I didn't actually know you were alive until very recently."

April suddenly gasped. "Where are my manners? Would you like to come inside and warm up?"

"If that's alright," Amy began.

"Of course, it's alright! Come on in, you two." Amy's grandmother stepped aside and let them into the house.

Amy stepped inside the house. There was a living room directly in front of her, and a small kitchen to the left. A bald man was sitting on the white couch, watching the TV. He turned around as April closed the door, eyebrows scrunching in confusion.

"April?" the man asked. "Who is this? And why does she look a little bit like Jessie?"

April took Amy by the arm and pulled her up so that Amy was standing between her grandparents. "This is Amelia. She's Jessica and Henry's daughter. Our granddaughter."

"Granddaughter?" the man asked.

Amy was struggling to remember her grandfather's name. She had just told Sam and Dean what it was the other day, but now she couldn't seem to remember what it was.

Amy's silent question was answered when her grandmother spoke again. "Yes, James. This is Jessica and Henry's daughter."

James eyed Amy carefully before standing up, using a cane to prop himself up, and slowly coming towards her. "How do I know you're telling the truth?" he asked.

Amy thought for a moment. "I know a song that my mother used to sing to me when I was a baby. I had it stuck in my head for the longest time, but I never knew where I heard it from." She turned to her grandmother. "When I got sent back in time, I was singing it upstairs, and my mother heard it. She told me that it was a song that someone wrote for you."

"Back in time?" James asked.

"I'll explain later, James," April said.

"Anyway," Amy continued, "my mom said you used to sing it to her when she was a kid."

"Well, go on," James said with a huff. "Let's hear it."

Amy let out a shaky breath before quietly singing the words she had heard in her head for so many years. "You'll never know how I hurt inside the way you do," she began. "It was so hard to watch you suffer in that way. I felt so helpless, so I'm begging you, please let me stay. Want you to know how I'll try to ease the pain for you."

Next to her, Amy's grandmother let out a shaky breath. "Need you to understand that I'll be around when you feel blue. It will be easy, for help is never far away. I'll wipe away your tears. Show you the beauty in each passing day," April finished. She smiled. "My mother never actually finished that song. I only ever knew the first verse of it."

"Those few lines are the only ones that I actually remember," Amy admitted.

"You really are our granddaughter," James said breathlessly. "But how?"

Amy opened her mouth to answer, only to be interrupted by her cell-phone ringing. "Sorry," she said, quickly looking at the caller ID. "It's my brother."

Amy answered the call, putting the phone to her ear. "Hey, Dean, what's up?"

"Hey," Dean began, "everything going okay in there?"

Amy smiled. "Yeah, everything's actually going great!"

"Awesome. So, do they believe you? That you're their granddaughter, I mean?"

"It took some convincing, but yeah, I think they do." Amy began walking around while she talked. "Are you still gonna wait in the car? 'Cause I can finish up in here if you are."

"No, no, it's fine," Dean said. "Take your time, really. You deserve it, kid."

Amy smiled again. "Okay. I don't think I'll be much longer anyway. See you in a bit." She hung up the call and walked back over to her grandparents. "Sorry about that. That was my older brother."

April frowned. "Jessie never had any other kids."

Amy quickly shook her head. "Not my biological brother," she clarified. "And not even technically my brother, but Sam and Dean tell people I'm their sister and I tell people they're my brothers. They're my family and sometimes it's just easier to say we're siblings."

"Sam and Dean?" James asked.

Amy nodded. "Winchester. I met them a few years ago, when I was seventeen and I've lived with them ever since."

"Winchester?" James asked. "John's boys?"

Amy stared in shock at her grandfather. "Uh, yeah. Wait, you know them?"

James nodded. "I met John about ten years ago. How's he doing these days?"

"He actually died before I even met Sam and Dean," Amy confessed. "He was killed by a demon."

April let out a small gasp. "Oh, I'm so sorry to hear that."

"Are you a hunter, Amy?" James asked.

Amy nodded. "I am, yeah. I've been hunting with Sam and Dean for a few years."

April frowned. "I know I just met you, but I don't know how I feel about my own granddaughter hunting monsters."

"Nonsense, April," James huffed. "She's not a kid and I say she can handle herself pretty damn well."

Amy smiled for a moment. She decided not to tell her grandparents about the recent events that had transpired. "I should, um, I should probably get going now." She pointed to the front door. "Like I said, Dean's waiting out in the car. I just really wanted to meet you guys finally."

"Before you go," April said quickly, heading towards the kitchen and gesturing for Amy to follow her. "Let me give you our number. That way you have it, and you can call if you ever just wanna talk or anything."

"Are you sure?" Amy asked, following her grandmother.

"Of course, I'm sure!" April took out a notepad and pen. She scribbled down a number and tore the paper off, before handing it to Amy. "There you go. We'd love to hear from you. Seems we've got almost twenty-one years to catch up on."

Amy walked with April back to the living room. "I'll be sure to call as often as I can," she promised. "I'm really glad I finally got to meet you guys."

James hobbled closer to them on his cane. "Don't be a stranger now, you hear?"

"I won't," Amy said.

April walked Amy to the front door, before turning to her one more time. "You look exactly like your mother did when she was around your age," she said softly. A tear began to roll down her cheek. "You even have that same soft look in your eyes as her."

"What was my mom like?" Amy asked.

April smiled. "She was one of the nicest people you ever met. She cared about so many people, and she wasn't afraid to stand up for what she believed in. You remind me of that in so many ways."

Amy turned her gaze to the ground. "I wish I had gotten a chance to know her," she said.

"Me too," April said softly. "She was taken too soon. I think you two would have had a great mother-daughter relationship."

There was a long pause as no one spoke.

"I won't keep you any longer," April finally said, opening the front door. "I know you have to get back to your family. If you're ever in Lebanon again, don't be afraid to stop by, okay? Maybe we could get to know you a bit better."

Amy gave her grandmother a smile and nodded. "I'd like that." She stepped out of the house, and turned back to her grandparents. "I know I already said this, but I'm glad I finally got to meet you guys."

"Come back soon," April said. "And don't forget to call."

Amy gave her grandparents a small wave and turned away from the door. She made her way down to the Impala and climbed in.

Dean was listening to a Led Zepplin tape in the car. He turned down the music as Amy got in and turned to her. "How'd it go?"

Amy took a brief pause before answering. "It went pretty well," she said with a smile. "My grandma gave me their phone number and said if I was ever in Lebanon again, I should stop by again so they can get to know me better."

Dean nodded. "I'm really happy for you, Ames."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah," Dean promised. "You deserve this."

"Is Sam still at the motel?" Amy asked.

Dean began driving away from the house. "Yeah, actually, we gotta go pick him up. Bobby called while you were inside. Apparently something's happening at a psychiatric hospital in Ketchum, Oklahoma. It's only a six-hour drive from here."

Amy nodded. "Sounds good. Did Bobby say exactly what was happening at that hospital?"

"Apparently some of the patients have been mysteriously dying," Dean explained. "The doctors are ruling it as suicides but Bobby and I think there's more at stake here."

"Any ideas on what?"

Dean shook his head. "Nothing yet. We're thinking of posing as patients there."

"Hmm." Amy shrugged. "Alright, then."

Dean turned down another street. "So, how much did you tell your grandparents? To get them to believe you, I mean."

"Oh, um, there's this song that I knew from when I was living at the orphanage," Amy admitted.

"Okay," Dean said, clearly confused.

Amy nodded. "Anyway, when Cas sent us back to different times that one day, I was quietly singing the song, and my mom overheard. Turns out my grandma's mom wrote part of it for my grandma, and my mom used to sing it to me all the time when I was a baby."

"Hmm." Dean nodded slowly. "Can I hear it."

Amy faked a laugh. "You're funny, Winchester. Not gonna happen."

Dean chuckled. "Maybe one of these days."

"Oh!" Amy exclaimed. "I almost forgot. Turns out, my grandpa knew your dad."

"He what?" Dean asked in shock.

"Yeah," Amy confirmed. "When you called earlier, I told them who I was talking to, and my grandpa said he met your dad about ten years ago."

"What the hell?" Dean asked.

"That's pretty much what I was thinking."

Dean pulled into the parking lot of the motel and turned off the engine. "Come on, let's get inside."

Amy followed Dean out of the Impala and up to the motel room. Sam was sitting on his laptop when they stepped into the room.

"Hey," Sam greeted. "Everything go okay?"

Amy nodded. "Everything went great!"

"You ready to go?" Dean asked his brother.

Sam nodded. "Yeah, I'm ready."

Amy made sure her stuff was packed in her bag, placing her grandparents' phone number on top, and zipped it closed. "I'm ready, too."

"Let's get going, then."

Amy slung the strap of her bag over her shoulder and followed Sam and Dean back out to the car. She tossed her bag into the trunk next to theirs and climbed into the back.

Dean started the engine and pulled out of the parking lot. Amy yawned as he drove down the road. She laid down across the seat and closed her eyes, listening to the purr of the engine as she drifted off to sleep.


	45. Sam, Interrupted

**December 6th, 2009 - Ketchum, Oklahoma**

They had come up with a plan on the way to Ketchum. Dean and Amy would pretend to be taking Sam into the psychiatric ward for insanity, while also trying to get in themselves.

"How are we gonna do this?" Sam had asked.

Amy leaned forward across the seat. "We could always tell them the truth," she suggested. "That we hunt monsters. I could tell them about growing up in another universe, my powers, etcetera."

"That'll work," Dean agreed.

Sam nodded. "Okay. I'll get everything ready tonight."

Dean pulled into the parking lot of a motel. The hunters checked into their room and made their way up to it.

Amy dropped her bag on the floor by her bed and leaped into it, landing face down on the pillow.

"I'll make a few calls," she heard Sam say.

"Sounds good." With that, Dean flopped down on the other bed.

Before drifting off to sleep, the last thing Amy heard was Sam talking to someone at the Glenwood Springs psychiatric hospital.

* * *

**December 7th, 2009**

Amy woke the next morning around eight.

"Morning, Ames," Dean said. "Hurry up and get dressed. We're heading down to the hospital soon. Sam got a call from a former hunting buddy of ours, Martin, last night. He said things are getting pretty bad down there. Looks like someone else died last night."

"Shit," Amy hissed. She slid out of her bed. "Are we posing as anyone today?"

Sam shook his head. "Not this time."

Amy grabbed her bag and headed into the bathroom. She pulled on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt before pulling her hair into a hair tie and heading back out. She tossed her bag back on the bed and pulled on her shoes.

"Ready," Amy announced.

"Let's go." Dean grabbed the keys and led them back out to the Impala. They climbed in and headed off towards Glenwood Springs psychiatric hospital.

* * *

Sam and Dean explained the full plan to Amy on the way. During the night, Dean had called the hospital, pretending to be a Dr. Babar from Chicago. They would have aliases of Edward, Alex, and their little sister Jenny Van Halen. According to the fake call Dean had made, Sam showed paranoid schizophrenia signs and was being sent for an evaluation.

Dean parked the Impala in the woods just outside the hospital parking lot. "Everyone know the plan?" he asked.

"Yep," Amy said. "Just tell the truth." She climbed out of the Impala and began following Sam and Dean across the parking lot. "Kind of ironic that the only thing we need to do to get into a psychiatric ward is to tell them what we do for a living."

"Crazy works," Dean said,

They headed inside the hospital and made their way to the front desk.

"Hi there," Dean said to the receptionist, "I'm here to check my younger brother in."

"Name?"

"Edward Van Halen." Dean put his hand on Sam's back. "This is my brother, Alex."

The receptionist turned to Amy. "Are you with them?"

Amy nodded. "Yes."

"Name?"

"Jenny Van Halen."

The receptionist nodded and began typing something on her computer. Amy rocked back and forth on her heels as they waited.

"Are you alright, ma'am?" the receptionist asked.

Amy nodded. "Yeah, sorry. It's just a little uncomfortable for me to stand still sometimes."

"Hmm." The receptionist turned back to her computer.

Amy turned to Dean, who shrugged in confusion.

"Alright," the receptionist finally said. She stood up, grabbing a paper as it came out of the printer. "Right this way."

The hunters followed the receptionist down the hallway. They stopped in front of a door that read "Dr. Fuller" on the window.

The receptionist opened the door, knocking on the window as she did. "Dr. Fuller? I've got some people here to see you."

"Send them in."

The receptionist led the hunters into the room. She handed a file to a man sitting behind the desk.

Dr. Fuller was an older man wearing a white lab coat and rectangular-shaped glasses. Sam and Dean sat at the two chairs in front of the desk while Amy sat down on the white couch near Dean.

Dr. Fuller opened up the file. The hunters sat in awkward silence as the doctor read through it.

"You were referred to me by a Dr. Babar in Chicago," Dr. Fuller read.

Dean nodded. "That's right."

The doctor set the file down. "Isn't there a children's book about an elephant named Babar?" he asked suspiciously.

Dean shook his head. "I don't know. I don't have any elephant books. Look, Doctor, I-I-I think the doc was in over his head with this one. 'Cause my brother is..." Dean pointed one finger at Sam and circled another at the side of his head while whistling.

Dr. Fuller raised his hand. "Okay, fine, thank you. That 's-that's really not necessary." He grabbed his file and a notepad. "Why don't you tell me how you're feeling, Alex?"

Sam sighed. "I'm fine. I mean, okay, a little depressed, I guess."

Dr. Fuller wrote something down in his notepad. "Okay. Any idea why?"

"Probably because I started the apocalypse," Sam said with no hesitation.

Amy couldn't help but smirk as Dr. Fuller looked up at Sam. "The apocalypse?"

Sam nodded. "Yeah, that's right."

Dr. Fuller looked over in Dean's direction. Dean flashed the doctor a smile, and he turned back to Sam. "And you think you started it?"

"Well, yeah, I mean," Sam sighed, "I killed this demon, Lilith, and I accidentally freed Lucifer from hell," he explained. "So now, he's topside, and we're trying to stop him."

Dean let out an exasperated sigh.

"Who is?" the doctor asked.

"Me. A-and him." Sam pointed to Dean and Amy. "And her, and this one angel."

"Oh, you mean, like a...like an angel on your shoulder?" Dr. Fuller asked, tapping his shoulder.

"No. His name's Castiel. He wears a trench coat."

Dr. Fuller went back to taking notes.

"See what I mean, Doc?" Dean asked. "The kid's been beating himself up about this for months. The apocalypse wasn't his fault."

"No, of course not," Amy agreed. "I did try to warn them, after all.

The doctor looked back and forth between Dean and Amy, stunned. "It's not? You did?"

"No. There was this other demon, Ruby," Dean said quickly. "She got him addicted to demon blood, and near the end, he was practically chugging this stuff."

"I told Sam Ruby was evil," Amy added. "But I think it was too late by the time I did."

"My brother's not evil," Dean continued. "He was just...high...yeah? So, could you fix him up so we can get back to traveling around the country and hunting monsters?"

The doctor held a finger up. He picked up the phone next to him and dialed an extension. "Irma...cancel my lunch." He hung up as Dean pat Sam comfortingly on the arm.

A few minutes later, the door opened back up, and a happy-looking nurse stepped into the room. "Dr. Fuller?"

"Yes, uh," the doctor stood up, "excuse me for a second." He stepped out of the room with the nurse, closing the door behind him.

"Do you think it worked?" Amy asked.

"It better have," Dean said.

The door opened back up, and the nurse reappeared. "Could you three please follow me?"

The hunters stood up and followed the nurse out of Dr. Fuller's office.

"Doctor Fuller would like to keep the three of you under observation for a couple of days," the nurse said as she led them down a hallway.

"Three?" Dean asked. "Me, too?"

"And me?" Amy asked.

"Yes, Sugars," the nurse confirmed. "The doctor thinks that would be best."

Amy turned to Sam and Dean. The three hunters gave each other victorious smiles before turning back to the nurse.

The nurse walked them down to an examination room. "Okay," she said, turning to the hunters, "I just need to give the three of you a little check-up and give you a change of clothes, then you'll be good to go. If you want to wait in the lounge, it's just down the hall." She pointed at Amy and grinned. "Let's take you first, sweetie."

Amy looked back at Sam and Dean. They ushered her to follow the nurse, and she reluctantly did.

The nurse led Amy into a small examination room. "Alright, go ahead and take off your jacket for me," she instructed.

Amy sat down on the exam table and took off her jacket, setting it next to her.

* * *

The examination went by reasonably quickly. The nurse made sure Amy was healthy, checking her blood pressure, heartbeat, temperature, etcetera.

"Okay, I just need to take a blood sample, and then you're all set," the nurse said with a smile.

"Blood sample?"

"Mhm." The nurse nodded. "It's just to make sure you don't have any health issues we might need to address while you're here."

"Well, I can tell you right now that I have anemia," Amy said. "But that's all I know of."

The nurse grabbed the items to draw Amy's blood. "Well, this will tell us if you have any more."

After it was over, the nurse handed Amy a pair of blue scrubs, black slippers, and a blue robe.

"Just put these on, and you'll be good to go!" the nurse said gleefully. She still had a grin on her face, making Amy feel uncomfortable. "Bathroom's right over there."

Amy quickly headed into the bathroom, desperate to get away from the super happy nurse. She changed out of her regular clothes and into the patient's outfit before heading back out.

"Alright," the nurse said, "I'll just take those for you." She took Amy's clothes and shoes. "Go ahead and head out to the lounge. It's just down the hall. Your brothers will be out to join you in a bit."

Amy didn't say anything as she left the examination room. The nurse followed her to the patient's lounge and called Dean in next.

Sam was sitting at one of the tables, looking around at all the other patients. Amy pulled up a chair and sat on the other side of him.

"Hey," Sam greeted. "How'd it go?"

Amy shrugged. "About as well as you'd expect." She looked around the room. "Is that guy, Martin, here? I have no idea what he looks like."

Sam shook his head. "I don't see him anywhere."

"Hopefully we can get this over with quickly," Amy muttered. "I wanna leave here as soon as possible."

"Yeah, I know the feeling."

After Dean finished his check-up, Sam followed the nurse down the hall. Dean leaned against the back of the couch, staring down at the floor.

Amy stood up from the table and walked over. "Hey."

Dean didn't respond.

"You okay?" Amy asked.

Dean nodded. "Yeah, yeah, I'm good."

"You sure?"

"Don't try and shrink me, Ames."

Amy held up her hands. "I wasn't, but okay." She moved around the couch and sat down on the arm, next to Dean.

* * *

Eventually, Sam walked back out, wearing the same thing as Dean and Amy. Dean had resumed staring at the floor, only looking up when Sam walked up next to him.

"How was your Silkwood shower?" Dean asked.

"Okay. Yeah, good. Yeah, good, um-good water pressure," Sam stammered. "Did the nurse..."

Dean nodded. "She was very thorough."

"Yeah. Yeah, good. Good. Yeah."

"Please stop talking," Amy muttered. She hadn't gone through the same thing Sam and Dean were talking about, but hearing them talk about it made her uncomfortable.

Amy looked around the lounge at the other patients. A man slept at one table while a woman made paper puppets at another. On the other side of the room, another woman played with a stuffed, pink bunny. Most of the other patients were walking around the lounge.

"I can't believe I let you talk me into this," Dean muttered.

"Hey, it's the least we could do," Sam argued. "Martin saved Dad's ass more times than we can count. He's a great hunter."

"Was," Dean corrected. "Until Albuquerque."

Sam sighed. "Besides, I just figure it's best we keep busy. That's all."

"Better than what?"

Sam shrugged. "Nothing."

Dean wasn't buying it. He motioned for Sam to continue.

"Okay." Sam sighed again. "Look...um...last few weeks, you've kind of been worrying me."

Dean sighed in frustration. "Oh, come on, Sam. Stop. Look, just because we're in the loony bin doesn't give you the right to head-shrink me."

"Dean-"

"The Colt not working and Lucifer getting away-" Dean continued. "Yeah, it was a friggin' tragedy, okay? But I'm not gonna wallow in it."

"We'll find Lucifer again," Amy cut in.

"Exactly," Dean said.

"Dean, you always do this," Sam argued. "You can't just keep this crap in."

Dean chuckled. "Watch me." He looked over at another table, where a bald man was staring out the window. "Oh, there he is."

Amy followed Sam and Dean over to the table. Sam cleared his throat and the man, Martin, looked up at them.

"Sam, Dean, wow." Martin stood up and shook Sam's hand. "Wow, you boys got big. You look good."

"Thanks." Sam nodded. "You do, too, Martin."

Martin noticed Amy standing next to Dean. "Who's this?"

"Oh, uh, Martin, this is Amy. She's a hunter as well," Sam explained. "We met her a few years ago."

Martin nodded. "Uh...Well, thanks for coming." He motioned for them to sit down.

Dean sat in the chair across from Martin while Sam and Amy grabbed two more chairs and pulled them over.

"In the old days, I could've taken care of this thing with both hands tied behind my back...but, well...now..." Martin trailed off, letting out a long sigh.

"What do you think it is that we're hunting?"

Martin shrugged. "I don't know yet. A ghost, demon, monster...animal, vegetable, mineral." He chuckled slightly. "Hospital's had five deaths in the last four months. Doctors keep calling it suicides, but they're wrong."

"So, you've seen this thing?" Sam asked.

Martin shook his head.

"Has anyone seen this thing?" Dean asked.

"Well, a couple patients have, uh...had glimpses, but there's not a lot to go on."

"Are they reliable?" Dean asked.

Martin nodded. "Oh, sure, why wouldn't they be?"

Dean looked around the room again, then turned back to Martin. "Gee, I don't know."

"I know you boys think I'm a bag of loose screws. Now, you wouldn't be wrong," Martin argued. "But I wouldn't have called you unless there was something here. I can feel it in my gut."

Amy exchanged a glance with Sam and Dean.

"We believe you," Sam finally said. "Have you checked any of the bodies? Found signs of an attack?"

Martin flinched. "Well, uh, no...I don't go around dead b-b-b-bodies anymore," he stammered.

"Alex, Eddie, Jenny."

Amy turned to see Dr. Fuller walking up behind them.

"Well, I'm glad to see you're making friends," Dr. Fuller said, nodding at Martin. "Why don't you two and, uh, Mr. Creaser join us for group? Please. Right this way."

The three hunters and Martin stood up. Amy followed Sam and Martin past Dr. Fuller.

"Actually, I'm gonna be putting you in the afternoon group," Dr. Fuller said. Amy turned to see him talking with Dean.

Dean frowned. "What? Why"

"Well, to be frank, uh, the relationship that you have with your brother seems dangerously codependent." Dr. Fuller glanced back at Amy. "I'd put you in a separate group as well, to be honest, but we only have a morning and afternoon group." He turned back to Dean. "I think a little time apart will do you both good."

Amy and Sam exchanged glances as Dr. Fuller walked off. They reluctantly began to follow as Dean waved at them.

* * *

Dr. Fuller led Sam, Amy, and Martin into another room. Five additional patients sat in metal chairs around a circle.

Dr. Fuller sat down in one of the vacant chairs. Amy took a seat between Sam and Martin.

"Alright, so...who would like to start us off?" Dr. Fuller asked, looking around the room.

A male patient raised his hand.

Dr. Fuller slowly looked around the group, hesitating on the man with his hand raised, before continuing. "Anyone else?"

The patient raised his hand higher, determined to get called on.

Dr. Fuller finally gave in. "Alright, Ted," he said. "Calm down."

Ted lowered his hand. "I am calm," he stressed, rocking as he spoke. "And I'd very calmly like to talk about the monster that's hunting us."

"Ted, we're not going to have that discussion again," Dr. Fuller said.

Amy exchanged glances with Sam and Martin. Something interesting was going on here.

"It's not good for group," Dr. Fuller continued.

"I agree," Ted said. He let out a shaky breath. "You know what else isn't good for group? A monster eating all our faces off."

"Alright, fine, thank you." Dr. Fuller leaned forward. "Now, anyone else?"

"I saw it," Ted said quickly, "when it killed Susan."

"I did, too," a female patient cut in. "It had big lobster claws."

"No, it didn't."

"Yeah, and it was an alien, like on X-Files," the other patient continued.

"Stop it. Stop helping!" Ted shouted frantically. "Listen to me. We're all dead!"

"That's enough," Dr. Fuller snapped. He leaned forward and took off his glasses. "There is no monster. Now, Ted, do you need me to call the orderlies..."

Ted shook his head.

"...or can you behave?"

Ted nodded. "Behave."

Amy and Sam exchanged another glance.

"What about you, Jenny?"

Amy quickly looked over at Dr. Fuller. "What?"

"Why don't you tell us how you're feeling?"

Amy shrugged. "I'm fine."

"Are you?" Dr. Fuller asked.

"Yeah, totally," Amy insisted.

"I see." Dr. Fuller scribbled something down on his notepad. "Nothing you want to talk about."

Amy shook her head. The doctor was starting to get on her nerves a little. "Like I said, I'm fine."

Dr. Fuller nodded. "Very well."

* * *

Amy tuned most of the rest of the session out. Finally, they finished, and everyone stood up to leave.

Martin left with the rest of the group while Sam and Amy hung back.

"You okay?" Sam asked.

Amy rolled her eyes. "Oh, god, not you too," she said in frustration. "I'm fine, Sam."

Sam nodded. "Okay. 'Cause you know you can talk to me, right?"

"I know." Amy nodded. "Come on, we better go find Dean."

They began making their way out of the room. A long line of patients walked down the hallway, passing by the room they were in. At the end of the line was Dean. He had his hands in his pockets as he walked past Sam and Amy, not acknowledging them.

Sam and Amy stepped out of the room. "Dean, hey," Sam said.

Dean turned to face them.

"You okay?" Sam asked, seeing Dean's face.

"I just got thraped. So, no, I am not okay," Dean said. "Tell me you two found something."

"Looks like one of the patients saw something," Amy spoke. "I think his name was Ted."

"We should talk to him," Sam added. "You wanna meet here in an hour?"

Dean nodded. "Yeah, sooner we take care of this thing, sooner we can get gone. This place gives me the creeps." He turned around to see a female patient standing directly behind him. Without a word, she put a hand on the back of his head and kissed him.

Sam and Amy stood there, watching awkwardly.

Finally, the woman pulled away. "Hi."

"Hi," Dean said back.

"I'm Wendy."

Dean nodded. "Uh-huh."

Wendy walked past Dean, slapping his butt as she passed.

Dean turned around and smirked at Sam. "Maybe this place isn't so bad, after all."

"Dude...you cannot hit that," Sam said.

"Oh, so torn," Dean said as Amy laughed.

"Okay," Amy said. "When should we talk to the guy who says he saw the monster?"

"I think tonight would be best," Dean said. "Once everyone's asleep. What room is he in?"

"I dunno," Sam said. "But I'll find out. Meet me in front of my room tonight."

"How are you gonna get out?" Amy asked.

"I snuck a lockpick in," Sam explained.

"So did I." Dean turned to Amy. "You can just use your powers to get out, right?"

Amy nodded. "Yeah, I should be able to."

"Good."

"We should head back to the lounge," Sam said. "Before anyone notices that we're missing."

* * *

Amy followed Sam and Dean back out to the lounge. As they entered, a woman wearing a white lab coat and holding a clipboard approached. She had a nametag on her lab coat that read 'Dr. Cartwright.'

"There you three are," she said with a smile. "I was wondering where you three wandered off to." She turned to Amy. "You must be Jenny."

"Uh, yeah."

"Do you mind if I ask you a few questions, hun?"

Amy opened her mouth to answer, but Dean quickly stepped in. "Yes, she does mind," he snapped.

"Sir, it's procedure that I talk to all the new patients," Dr. Cartwright said. "This won't take long."

Amy stepped forward. "Eddy, it's fine."

Dean hesitated for a moment. "Alright," he finally muttered, "okay.

Dr. Cartwright smiled. "Right this way, then."

Amy followed the doctor to an empty table and sat down opposite her.

"Now then," the doctor began. "I'm just going to ask you a few questions, and you answer them as truthfully as you can. Deal?"

Amy folded her arms and leaned back in her seat. "Deal."

"How many hours of sleep do you get a night?"

Amy shrugged. "It varies, I think. Sometimes I get a full eight hours, sometimes I get much less."

"What's the shortest amount of sleep you've gotten?"

Amy had to think for a moment. There were times, back before meeting Sam and Dean when she would only get two or three hours of sleep because she went to bed too late and had to get up early for school. "Two or three hours," she finally answered.

Dr. Cartwright scribbled something down on her notepad. "Do you drink?"

Amy shook her head. "Not really. I've had maybe one or two, but that's it."

Dr. Cartwright nodded and wrote her response down. "When's the last time you were in a long-term relationship?"

"I've never been in a relationship," Amy replied. "Not interested."

"How come you're not interested?"

Amy shrugged. "I've just never been interested in dating or being in a relationship at all. Can I go now?"

"Just a few more questions." Dr. Cartwright looked down at her clipboard. "Have you ever felt really depressed or anxious for any reason?"

Amy chuckled at the irony. "I was diagnosed with depression and anxiety when I was fourteen, so I'm gonna go with yes."

"I see." The doctor wrote Amy's response down. "Are you taking anything for these?"

Amy shook her head. "I did for a few years, but then I stopped altogether. My brothers and I travel a lot. I just don't have time to pick up a new prescription when I need to."

The doctor nodded again. "Alright, I think that's all I needed to know for now. You can go join the others."

Amy didn't say anything as she stood back up and went to find Sam and Dean. She found them standing by the couch, talking, and walked over.

"How'd it go?" Dean asked.

"It went okay, I guess," Amy muttered. "She just asked me how much sleep I got, if I drank, when my last long-term relationship was, stuff like that."

"Yeah, she asked me the same things," Dean said.

"Yeah," Amy said, "and then she asked if I ever felt depressed or anxious, which I thought was both a little odd and also ironic."

"How come?"

"I've had depression and anxiety since before I met you two," Amy said nonchalantly.

"Oh."

Amy glanced back and forth between the two Winchesters. "Seriously, guys, you don't have to feel bad or anything. Like I said, I've had both for years, longer than my diagnosis. I don't remember what I was really like before I got it, but I've kinda just learned to manage and try to live with it."

Sam and Dean exchanged a glance.

"Okay, I suppose," Sam said. "But just know that if you ever need to talk, Dean or I are here for you."

Amy smiled. "I know."

* * *

The rest of the day went by pretty uneventfully. Dean went to the afternoon session later in the afternoon, coming back just before dinner. That night, the three hunters were placed in separate rooms nearby each other.

Amy waited until the lights went out before using her powers to unlock her door. She poked her head out to see Dean leaning against the wall and walked up to him. "Where's Sam?"

"I'm still waiting on him," Dean said.

Another door opened, and Sam stepped out, holding a lockpick in his hand.

Dean and Amy walked over to him. "Well, it's about time," Dean said. "Nurses are on their rounds. We got, like, fifteen, twenty minutes. So, where is this guy?"

"Room 306."

They walked down the hall towards Ted's room. As they rounded a corner, a scream echoed through the halls. They quickly rushed to Ted's room and looked inside. Sam began to pick the lock as Ted's feet slammed against the window.

"Move!" Amy pushed Sam out of the way and used her powers to unlock the door. The hunters hurried inside to see Ted struggling with something in the dark.

Dean quickly flipped on the light, and they were met with the sight of Ted hanging from a metal pipe in his room, tied up with his bedsheets.

"Oh my god," Amy gasped.

"Well, so much for that," Dean said in frustration. "Alright, we'll check the morgue tomorrow. Find out what this thing does to its victims." He pat Sam on the shoulder. "Come on, we should get back to our rooms."

They left the room, leaving Ted for the nurses and doctors to find in the morning, and headed back to their rooms.

* * *

**December 8th, 2009**

The next morning, Amy's room was unlocked by one of the orderlies. She was ushered out to the patients' lounge with everyone else.

She joined Sam, Dean, and Martin over by the window and sat down. "Hey."

"Hey, Ames," Dean greeted.

"You three find anything?" Martin asked.

"Not what we wanted to, but yeah," Amy confirmed. "We found Ted dead in his room."

"Oh."

"We gotta get into the morgue to search the body," Sam said. "Do you think you can distract the orderlies for us so we can sneak out?"

Martin shook his head. "I don't-I don't think so."

"Please?"

Martin shook his head again. "Sorry, guys."

Sam sighed. "It's alright, Martin."

"Well, now what are we going to do?" Dean asked. "These guys are watching us like hawks."

"I think I got an idea," Amy said. "I can turn off the lights from here, just get ready to move." She looked over at the light switch on the other side of the room, using her powers to turn them off.

The room went dark just long enough for the hunters to slip out of the room, unnoticed. They hurried down the hall to the morgue and headed inside.

Dean led them over to the refrigerators and opened the door with Ted's name on it. He pulled out the slab, and Sam pulled back the sheet. There was a red line where the bedsheet had been wrapped around Ted's neck. Sam began feeling around Ted's head, while Dean and Amy searched his hands.

"Hey, I think I found something," Sam said.

"What do you got?" Dean asked.

"Right here." Sam pointed to a hole on the side of Ted's head. "Uh, give me a hand."

Dean held Ted's head and tilted it slightly as Sam grabbed a long Q-tip from a nearby table. He stuck the Q-tip into the hole and pushed it all the way down to almost the end.

"This hole goes all the way through to his brain," Sam realized.

"What the hell?" Amy grimaced.

"What does that mean?" Dean asked.

Sam grabbed a bone saw from the table. "Let's find out."

"Seriously?" Dean asked.

"You two keep watch."

Dean and Amy headed outside the morgue to keep watch. Inside the room, the bone saw started up, and Amy saw Dean frown in disgust.

A moment later, Amy heard a door open down the hall. She glanced over at Dean to see that he had heard the same thing. They quickly headed back inside the morgue.

"Dude," Dean said quickly as the door closed behind them.

Sam held up a small, black, charred brain. "Look, his brain's been sucked dry."

"That's fascinating," Dean deadpanned. "Somebody's coming."

The hunters quickly got to work cleaning up. Sam put Ted's brain back inside his head and carefully put the top of his head back on.

Amy stood watch by the window as Dean pushed the slab back into the fridge. "Hurry up," she hissed, hurrying back over.

Sam threw his bloody gloves into a nearby trash can just as the door to the morgue swung open.

The overly happy nurse stepped into the room. "What are you three doing in here?"

Amy looked back and forth at Sam and Dean, hoping one of them would be able to come up with something.

Dean shrugged and pulled down his pants. He threw his arms over his head and put on a goofy grin. "Pudding!" he said, jumping around.

Amy shielded her eyes and looked away. "Nope," she muttered.

The nurse smiled. "Alright, come on, you three." She walked over to the door and held it open for them.

Dean began walking to the door, turning back to Sam and Amy as he did. "Crazy works," he whispered.

After getting over their initial shock, Sam and Amy followed Dean out the door. The nurse let out a chuckle as she followed them out the door.

"This way, you three," the nurse said. "We gotta get you back to the others."

Amy turned her head back to the nurse as they walked. The nurse still had a big grin on her face. She turned to Sam and Dean. "That nurse creeps me out," she whispered.

"Yeah, me too," Sam whispered.

* * *

They walked back into the patient's lounge, where Martin was waiting for them. Amy followed Sam and Dean over to him.

"Martin, hey," Amy said as they approached.

Martin was standing next to the wall, looking at several paintings of clowns.

"Are those original Gacy's?" Dean asked with a chuckle.

"I painted those," Martin said.

"Back on point, please. Um...so, whatever this thing is-"

Dean pointed to the paintings. "It's good."

"It Slurpees your brain," Sam continued, "sucks you dry."

"Yeah, then it makes the deaths look like suicides. Any ideas?" Dean asked.

Martin thought for a moment. "Yeah," he finally said. "A bad one." He led them over to the table by the window and opened his journal.

The drawing was of a large head with several pointy teeth, rotten skin, and long, stringy hair.

"What is it?" Dean asked.

"It's a wraith," Amy recalled.

Martin nodded. "And I bet you a chicken dinner it's what we're up against. They crack open skulls and feed on brain juice."

"You ever tangle with one before?" Sam asked.

Martin shook his head. "Never. Never wanted to, neither."

"So, how do we kill it?" Dean asked.

"Silver. You so much as touch a wraith with the stuff, and the skin will crackle. Now, that's the good news. The bad news is...they can pass as humans."

The hunters and Martin looked around the room at everyone.

"It could be any Peter, Paul, and Mary in the joint," Martin said.

"Well, that's just great," Amy muttered.

"So, how do we find it?" Dean asked.

"A mirror. Lore says a wraith will show its true form in a mirror."

"Okay," Dean said, "well, we just gotta spot check every patient and every staff member."

Sam nodded. "Okay. Yeah. But-I mean, what's it doing in a mental hospital?"

"Who's gonna believe a psych ward patient when they say they've seen a monster?" Amy asked.

"Exactly," Martin agreed. "It's the perfect hunting ground."

"Okay, well, we can't just go up to every single person and hold a mirror up to their face," Amy pointed out.

Dean looked around, spotting a mirror mounted near the ceiling in one corner, aimed down at the room. "There," he said, pointing to it. "We can use that for now." He straightened up. "Okay, I'll keep an eye on the mirror, try and spot this thing. Sam, Amy, you guys go see if you can find something silver that we can use to take it down."

"Okay," Martin agreed. "I'm gonna go sit down if that's alright with you guys."

"Yeah, okay." Dean pat Martin on the shoulder. "Thanks for your help."

Martin walked over to the couch and sat down.

"We might have better luck tonight," Amy pointed out. "Less chance of us running into someone."

"Good point," Sam said.

Dean nodded. "Okay."

Amy turned to look around the room. The overly happy nurse was standing on the other side of the room, beaming. Amy quickly turned away.

"I still can't get over my feeling that there's something off about that nurse," she muttered.

"Which one?" Dean asked.

"That one over there," Amy said, nodding her head in the direction of the nurse. "I can't put my finger on it, but something about her reminds me of something."

Sam and Dean exchanged a glance. "Maybe you could," Sam began, "you know-"

"What?" Amy asked, not quite getting what they were implying.

"Come on," Dean urged, "you know."

"Read her mind?" Amy asked quietly. "Dean-"

"Look, Ames, I know you don't like invading people's privacy like that," Dean said, "but if you really have such a bad feeling about that nurse, maybe it's for the best."

Amy sighed. Maybe Dean was right. "Alright," she agreed.

Amy turned back to the nurse. It had been a long time since she had used her mind-reading powers. She focused on the nurse's thoughts, ignoring the sounds of the other patients around her.

'These humans look so delicious,' the nurse was thinking. 'And no one suspects a thing.'

Amy gasped and took a step back, breaking her concentration.

"Ames?" Sam asked, putting a hand behind her to stop her from stumbling back too far. "You okay?"

Amy shook her head, keeping her eyes on the nurse. "I think it's her," she said.

"What?" Dean asked in shock.

"I think that nurse is the wraith," Amy explained. "When I read her mind, she was thinking something like 'these humans look so delicious,' and 'no one suspects a thing.'."

"Crap," Dean said. "Are you sure?"

"Unless she somehow knows I can read minds and she was just thinking those things to mess with me, I'm gonna go with yes."

Dean exchanged another look with Sam. "Well, I guess that's one way to figure out who we need to kill," he said.

"Okay, uh, I'll find something silver we can use tonight," Sam said. "You two keep a close eye on that nurse. Find out where she goes so we can follow her."

Amy and Dean nodded in agreement.

"Sounds like a plan."

"Should we tell Martin?" Amy asked.

Sam looked over at Martin. "We might need his help."

"Are you sure?" Dean asked. "'Cause I think the three of us can do this no problem."

"He's still a hunter, Dean," Sam argued. "Plus, he's been here much longer than we have. He might be able to help us more than you think he can."

"I kinda have to agree with Sam," Amy cut in. "I mean, if Martin's up for it, that is."

Dean sighed. "Alright, fine. But someone's gotta tell him the plan."

"I'll do it," Amy offered. She walked up to Martin. "Martin?"

Martin looked up. "Oh, hi. It's Amy, right?"

Amy nodded. "We've come up with a plan," she said. "If you're up for it, we could use your help."

"What's the plan?"

"Well, we figured out who the wraith is," Amy began.

"You did?" Martin began frantically looking around. "Who is it?"

"You see, the nurse over there who's always smiling?"

Martin nodded.

"It's her. Sam, Dean, and I are going after her tonight, but we might need your help. If you're up for it, that is."

"I don't-"

Amy held up a hand, cutting Martin off. "Hey, that's okay," she said. "Think about it, okay. We're going after her tonight. If you're up for helping us, meet us out in the hallway. If not, that's fine too."

Martin hesitated a moment before nodding. "Okay," he said. "I-I'll think about it."

Amy smiled at Martin before turning and walking back to Sam and Dean.

"What'd Martin say?" Sam asked.

"He said he'd think about it."

"Okay." Sam sighed. "Guess now, the only thing left to do is wait."

* * *

That night, Amy met up with Dean in the hallway. Martin was there waiting with him as well.

"Hey, Martin, you made it," Amy said quietly.

Martin waved meekly.

"We're just waiting on Sam," Dean explained. "He should be here any minute."

A minute later, Sam walked up to them, holding four letter-openers. "Alright, I had to raid three nurses' stations to get these." He passed them out. "They're only silver-plated, but they should work."

The woman that had kissed Dean, Wendy, began walking their way.

"Oh, no, no, no," Dean said, quickly spotting her. "Not today, sweetheart. Come on, keep walking. I..."

Wendy ignored Dean and walked up to Sam. She pushed him against the wall and began kissing him.

Amy stood there awkwardly as Dean watched in shock.

"I want him now," Wendy said, looking at Dean. "He's larger." She pulled away from Sam and walked away.

"Hm." Dean shrugged. "You've had worse."

"Well then," Amy said, "uh, the wraith's office is just down the hall."

Sam nodded, still not quite over his shock. "We'll have to hit her after lights out."

"What?" Martin asked. "No."

"Martin, we gotta get past security, past the orderlies, and then cut that nurse's throat, okay?" Dean explained. "It's gonna suck start to finish, but we could use the backup."

Martin shook his head. "Oh, I can't. I can't." He began to walk away.

"We know what happened in Albuquerque," Sam called out.

Martin stopped in his tracks. "You don't know the half of it." He turned back to face them. "God, I used to be just like you two. I used to think I was invincible, and then...Well, I found out I'm not."

"If you didn't think you could do this, then why did you come out here with us?" Amy asked

"Martin, you're still a hunter," Dean said.

Martin shook his head again. "No. I'm not. I'm useless. Why do you think I checked myself into the Hotel California? I'd give anything to help you guys, I would. But, I-I can't. I'm sorry. I can't." He handed Sam back his letter opener and walked away.

Dean sighed in frustration. "Come on," he said. "We gotta get this done."

They crept down the hallway with their silver-plated letter openers in hand. Sam took the lead, with Dean behind him, and Amy in the back.

As they approached the room, they could see the light to the office still on and the door wide open. As they got closer, though, the light flipped off, and the happy nurse stepped out into the hall. The hunters quickly ducked out of view as the nurse closed the door to the office and began walking down the hall.

Sam poked his head around the corner. He gestured for them to follow, and they snuck down the hall after the nurse.

The nurse walked down the hall, stopping at a patient's room. Sam, Dean, and Amy broke out into a run as she opened the door to the room and stepped inside.

Sam got to the room just before Dean and Amy. He threw open the door to find the nurse standing over Jenny, with a skewer protruding out of her wrist, digging into the patient's head.

The wraith stood up quickly, startled. "You three aren't supposed to be in here."

"And you're not supposed to have a skewer in that woman's head," Amy countered.

"Is this real?" Dean asked.

The wraith took the skewer out of Wendy's head and licked it, before sliding it back into her wrist. "Oh, it is, Sugar. It's very real." She lunged forward, reaching towards Dean.

Amy ducked out of the way as the wraith grabbed Dean and threw him into a wall.

Sam swung at the wraith with his blade but was thrown into the wall as well.

Amy stood up as the wraith came after her. She gripped her blade in one hand and quickly dodged the oncoming attack. She quickly stood up and spun around, only to have to put a hand on the wall because everything around her seemed fragmented.

"Ames!"

Amy looked up to see three Sams struggling with three wraiths. The room swayed as three Deans through a punch at the wraith. She straightened up and gripped her blade, hoping she was going towards the real wraith as she made her way forward.

The wraith turned to Amy as she swung her letter-opener. The silver blade cut the wraith's arm and began to cackle.

The wraith screamed and began stumbling towards the open door. Through her fragmented vision, Amy managed to put out a hand and slam the door closed, trapping the wraith in the room with them.

"Guys!" Amy shouted, holding her pounding head. "I don't think I can keep this door closed for that long." She slid to the floor while Sam and Dean struggled with the wraith.

The wraith pinned Dean to the wall by the throat and raised an arm. The skewer jumped out of her wrist, and she began moving towards his forehead, while Dean tried to hold it away.

The skewer came out a little more as Sam gripped his letter opener and came up behind the wraith, jamming the blade into her back. The wraith let out a gasp as the silver began to burn her.

Amy lowered her hand as the wraith hit the wall and slid to the ground. Her fragmented vision slowly went back to normal, and she looked up to see Sam and Dean approaching her.

"Are you okay?" Dean asked.

Amy nodded. "Yeah," she said quietly. "Yeah, I'm okay now. I started seeing three of everything during that fight, and I just..."

"Yeah, I saw that, too," Dean confirmed. He looked over at Wendy. "Is she still alive?"

Sam went over to check. After a moment, he nodded.

"Good," Dean said. "We gotta get out of here."

"Yeah."

The alarm bell above the door began to ring. Amy quickly stood up and followed Sam and Dean out of the room. They ran down the hall as fast as they could and burst through the side door. The alarm continued blaring behind them as they ran towards the woods.

They finally slowed to a walk as they approached the back of the Impala. "Well, looks like Tom Cruise was right," Dean said. "Shrinks suck."

Amy approached the back seat and reached for the door handle. She heard Sam sigh and looked over to see him standing by the trunk.

"What are you doing?" Dean asked. "Sam? You okay?"

Sam shook his head. "No. No. I'm angry all the time. I'm mad at everything. I used to be mad at you and Dad, then Lilith, then Amy, now it's Lucifer, and I make excuses. I blame Ruby or the demon blood, but it's not their fault. It's not them. It's me. It's inside me. I'm mad...all the time...and I don't know why."

Dean stepped closer. "Stop. Stop it," he snapped. "So what if you are? What are you gonna do? You gonna take a leave of absence? You gonna say yes to Lucifer? What?"

"No, of course not. I-"

Dean cut Sam off. "Exactly. And that's exactly what you're gonna do. You're gonna take all that crap, and you're gonna bury it," he retorted. "You're gonna forget about it because that's how we keep going! That's how we don't end up like Martin! Are you with me?"

Sam didn't respond.

"Come on, man. Are you with me?" Dean repeated.

"I'm with you," Sam finally said.

Dean nodded. "Good. Let's get the hell out of here."

Dean got into the driver's seat, and Amy slid into the back. After a moment of hesitation, Sam got in next to Dean, and they drove off.

* * *

They reached the motel shortly after and headed up to their room. Amy was relieved to see a comfortable bed waiting for her after sleeping on a firm mattress for the past few days.

"Get some rest," Dean told them. "We'll head out in the morning."

Amy flopped face-first onto her bed and gave Dean a thumbs up. "Aye-aye," she said, her voice muffled. She didn't bother to change out of her patient's outfit as she moved her head up to the pillow and laid down, falling into a deep sleep in record time.


	46. Swap Meat

**January 3rd, 2010 - Scotland, Connecticut**

Amy was woken up one morning by a pillow being thrown in her face. She groaned as she opened her eyes to see Sam and Dean standing on the other side of the room. "What?"

"Get up," Dean said. "We got a case up in Massachusetts."

Amy groaned again and rolled out of bed. "What's going on?" she asked as she grabbed a pair of jeans and a t-shirt from her bag.

"An old friend of ours from when Sam and I were younger called. Said they've got a ghost problem."

Amy nodded. "Let me just get dressed real quick." She hurried into the bathroom and quickly changed before pulling her hair into a ponytail. After slipping on her shoes, she headed back out and grabbed her bag. "Ready."

"Let's get going then," Dean said.

Amy grabbed her bag and followed the Winchesters out to the Impala. She tossed her duffle in the back and climbed into the car. Sam and Dean got into the front, and they drove off.

* * *

**Housatonic, Massachusetts**

It was only a two-hour drive to their next motel. They checked into a room on the second floor and headed upstairs.

"Drop off your bags, and then let's go," Dean said. "According to Donna, this thing attacked her daughter, Katie, a couple nights ago."

"I texted Donna and let her know we were on our way," Sam explained.

"Good." Dean nodded. "Let's get going, then."

Amy tossed her bag onto one of the beds and quickly hurried back out to the Impala. They climbed back in and drove off towards Donna's house.

"So, who's Donna?" Amy asked as Dean drove down the street.

"She used to babysit Dean and me when we were younger," Sam explained. "Our dad would drop us off sometimes when he went on a hunt, and we would stay with her for days, or sometimes even weeks."

"One day, Sammy here told Donna what our dad did for a living," Dean added. "Of course, she didn't believe him, but eventually she figured out he was telling the truth."

"I think you'll really like her, Amy," Sam continued. "Donna was the best."

* * *

They pulled up in front of a white, two-story house. Dean led them up to the front door and knocked.

A moment later, a woman in a flower-printed jacket and blue shirt, with long wavy, blonde hair, opened the door. She smiled when she saw who was on her porch.

"Sam, Dean," the woman said with a smile. "I'm so glad you boys could come."

"Hi, Donna," Dean said with a smile. He gestured down to Amy. "This is Amy, by the way. She's been hunting with us for a few years."

Amy gave the woman a smile. "Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you as well." Donna returned the smile. "I trust these boys are treating you well."

"Oh, absolutely," Amy replied. "They're like older brothers to me."

"Good." Donna stepped to the side. "Please, come in, you three."

The hunters stepped inside the house. Donna led them over to a couch, where a teenage girl with short, brown hair was sitting.

"This is my daughter, Katie," Donna introduced. She gestured to the other couch across from the coffee table. "Please, sit down. I've got some cookies and lemonade in the kitchen."

Amy sat down between Sam and Dean on the couch. Donna disappeared into the kitchen, returning a moment later with a plate of cookies, a pitcher of lemonade, and five glasses.

"Dean and Sammy Winchester." Donna set the cookies and lemonade on the table. "So, how long has it been?"

"The summer before 6th grade," Sam recalled.

"Mmm, I remember." Donna grabbed a glass and poured herself a glass of lemonade. "You assigned yourself your own reading list."

Dean chuckled. "That's right. I forgot about that."

"Have you always been this much of a nerd, Sam?" Amy joked.

"Yes," Dean whispered to her.

Sam turned to Katie. "Your mom happens to be the best babysitter we ever had."

Donna turned to Katie. "Well, when I was a maid at the Mayflower, out on the interstate – long before you were even an idea – their daddy used to pass through town and leave the boys with me while he went off to..." she paused for a brief moment as she turned to Sam and Dean, "work. One time, he was gone for two weeks."

"Two weeks?" Katie asked in disbelief.

"Mm-hmm." Donna set the lemonade down in front of Dean. "Oh, he'd always come limping back. He loved you boys. I'm sure he would have liked you too, Amy."

Amy smiled. 'Doubt it,' she thought.

"Did you know what he did all that time?" Katie asked.

"Little Sammy kept trying to tell me. Of course, I didn't believe him." Donna turned to Sam. "Not at first, anyway."

Sam inhaled sharply before speaking. "Katie, our dad, um, happened to be an expert at getting rid of ghosts," he explained. "And now, so are we."

"That's why I called them, sweetie," Donna said softly. "They can help us."

A man carrying several suitcases came into the room. He set the bags down in the entryway.

"Sounds like you guys got yourself a poltergeist," Dean said.

"Started a month or two after we moved in," the man said.

"Yeah, first it was, uh, just bumps and knocks and scratches on the walls," Donna added. "And then it started breaking things."

"And then it attacked Katie?" Sam asked.

The man nodded. "That was two nights ago."

"Can you show them, honey?"

Katie stood up and lifted her shirt. Scratched into her stomach, just above her belly button, were the words-

"Murdered Chylde," Sam read.

Katie lowered her shirt and sat back down.

"Katie, everything's gonna be fine. I promise," Dean assured the teen. He turned to Donna and her husband. "Why don't you guys take yourselves a little vacation, and, uh, we'll take care of it."

Donna sighed. "Thank you." She stood up. "There's a spare key underneath the front doormat. If you need anything, please call."

Dean nodded. "Thank you, ma'am."

Donna and Katie stood up from the couch. Donna put a hand on Katie's back as they walked out of the living room and grabbed their suitcases before leaving the house.

"Come on, let's get out of here," Dean said, standing up as well. "I'm starving."

The hunters left the house, grabbing the spare key on the way out.

* * *

Dean drove them to a local diner. They sat down at a booth, and Dean went up to the counter to order. Sam put his laptop on the table and opened it up to begin researching, while Amy sat and waited for the food to arrive.

Finally, Amy saw a teenage boy bring out a tray of food and set it in front of Dean. After talking with the teen for a moment, Dean picked up the tray and brought it over. He placed one cheeseburger and fries in front of Amy and handed Sam a salad shake, keeping the last cheeseburger and chile cheese fries for himself.

Sam opened his salad shake and poured in a packet of dressing. He closed the lid and started shaking the salad to mix it up while staring intently at his computer screen.

Amy stopped mid-way to taking a bite of her cheeseburger as Sam's salad rattled around in the container.

Sam stopped shaking his salad, noticing both Dean and Amy staring at him.

"Oh, you shake it up, baby," Dean said dryly. He put down his cheeseburger. "You know, poltergeist aside, Donna looked pretty good, don't you think?"

"Dude, don't tell me you've still got the hots for our babysitter."

"What? No. That's weird." Dean chuckled. "I'm just saying that she, you know, she – she's – she's doing good. You know, with her husband, her kid. This whole Amityville thing being thrown at them, and they're hanging tough."

Sam grabbed a fork and stabbed at his salad. "Yeah."

"You ever think that you'd want something like that? Wife, rugrats, the whole nine?"

Sam shook his head. "No, not really my thing anymore."

"What about you, Ames?" Dean asked. "You ever think about getting a husband and having kids?"

Amy shook her head, as well. "No, on both of those fronts for me. Though, if I ever did want to have a kid later in life, I'd probably wanna adopt."

Dean glanced at Sam's laptop. "Yeah. What do you got?"

"Uh, well, that house of theirs, it's old – really old. Um, hundreds of years. And I found a legend. It's unconfirmed, but still."

"Saying?"

"Supposedly, in the 1720s, the house was owned by a guy named Isaiah Pickett." Sam spun his laptop around to show the screen. On it was a site titled 'Witchcraft.' "Legend has it he hung a woman in his backyard for witchcraft – a woman named Maggie Briggs."

"Okay, so an angry ghost witch?" Dean asked.

Sam shrugged. "If it's true. That still doesn't explain what "Murdered Chylde" means."

"Hey, guys?" Amy asked, seeing something off to the side. "Why's that kid staring at us?"

The teenager who had served their food stared at them from behind the counter, a smirk on his face.

"Hey, kid?" Dean asked loudly. "You got a problem?"

The teen seemed scared for a moment, before quickly hurrying towards the back.

"Weirdo," Dean muttered. He turned back to Sam. "Does that say where the bitch is buried?"

"You know, I mean, it's a long way back, but I can see if I can find something in the town records."

"It's worth a shot," Dean said. "Amy and I will go find a motel. Call us if you find anything."

"Yep."

Amy finished her burger and grabbed the rest of her soda before standing up. She followed Dean out to the Impala and climbed in next to him as he took off down the street.

* * *

**Lucky Star Motor Inn**

It was dark by the time they pulled up to a motel. Amy waited by the car with the bags while Dean checked them into a room. After about a minute or two of waiting, he came out of the office and waved Amy over.

Amy picked up the bags and followed Dean into their motel room. She dropped the bags on the floor and took a look around the room.

Dean pulled out his phone and dialed Sam's number and put his phone to his ear. "So, any luck?" There was a pause as Sam spoke on the other line. "All right. Well, we've got a minute to breathe here, so, uh, let's pick it up first thing." Another pause, then Dean hung up.

"Sam on his way back?" Amy asked, sitting down on one of the beds.

"He'll be here in a few." Dean opened up a beer and took a swig.

Amy nodded. "Sounds good." She flipped on the TV and began surfing through the channels.

Half an hour passed, and Sam hadn't returned. During this time, Amy and Dean had laid their weapons out on one of the beds to clean. Amy was cleaning off one of her pistols when Dean pulled out his phone and called his brother again.

"Dude, where are you?" Dean asked into the speaker. "Call me when you get this."

"What's taking Sam so long?" Amy wondered aloud. She moved back the curtain and looked out the window as if Sam would somehow appear outside.

"I don't know what the hell's taking him so long," Dean muttered. He stood up. "I'm gonna keep calling him. Stay here, just in case he comes back."

"Okay."

Dean left the motel room.

* * *

Nearly two hours later, Amy was still alone in the motel room. Now she was getting nervous, pacing back and forth through the room with her phone in her hand as she waited for a call or text.

Amy went to her messages and read the last one from Dean, sent an hour ago.

"Anything yet?" Amy had texted.

"Nothing yet. I'll text you when I find him."

She closed her phone again and resumed pacing, occasionally stopping at the window to look outside.

Finally, the door opened up, and Sam stepped through.

"Sam! Where the hell have you been? Dean and I have been worried sick!"

"Oh, uh, I'm sorry," Sam said. He held up a bag from the restaurant they had eaten at earlier. "I brought you guys some food."

Amy took the bag, eyeing Sam warily. She opened it up and peered inside. "Two cheeseburgers and fries?" She closed the bag and looked back up at Sam. "Who are you, and what have you done with Sam Winchester?"

"I, uh-"

Amy scoffed and shook her head. "Whatever. I better call Dean, let him know you're back." She dialed Dean's number and put the phone to her ear. "You know he's been out for two hours looking for you? You really scared us."

Before Sam could reply, Dean answered Amy's call. "Yeah?"

"Guess who just showed up in the motel room?" Amy asked. She folded her arms and turned back to Sam, who was staring at himself in the mirror.

Dean sighed in frustration. "I'm gonna kill him. Did he say where he's been?"

"No, but he brought burgers and fries from that diner we went to earlier." Amy laid on the bed, staring up at the ceiling.

"Weird, but okay. I'm coming back. Make sure he doesn't leave again."

"Sure thing." Amy ended the call and sat back up.

Sam was still admiring himself in the mirror.

"Sam? You good, dude?"

"Yeah." Sam smiled. "I'm awesome!"

Amy raised an eyebrow. "Right. Well, Dean's on his way back."

"Who?" Sam asked.

"Dean?" Amy repeated. "Your older brother? What the hell's gotten into you?"

There was a knock on the door, and Sam quickly moved to answer it. Instead of checking to see who it was, so they could hide the weapons, he swung the door wide open to reveal a maid standing outside.

Amy quickly jumped up to cover the weapons with a blanket, but it was too late. The maid screamed when she saw the guns and knives and took off running.

"Why did you do that?" Amy asked angrily.

"What?" Sam asked. "There was someone at the door."

"I mean, why did you open it?" Amy elaborated.

Sam shrugged. "I wanted to see who it was."

Amy stared at him in shock. There was something seriously wrong with Sam right now.

Sam turned back to the mirror and began flexing, much to Amy's disbelief. "Oh, yeah. Bring it!" he said. He turned away from the mirror again. "Holy crap."

"I'm in hell," Amy muttered.

The door swung open again, and Dean stepped inside. "Sam. Where the hell you been, man? I've been trying to call you for hours."

"I picked up some food." Sam picked up the bag from earlier. "Bacon burger turbo, large chili-cheese fry, right?"

Dean snatched the bag away.

"Sorry, man," Sam said as he put his plaid shirt back on over his grey one. "Really. I-I just – I lost track of time. I didn't mean to freak you out."

"Thanks. Don't know why it took you two hours, but thanks."

"Glad you're back, Dean," Amy said, "but we're gonna have to leave now."

Dean frowned. "Why?"

"'Cause somebody-" Amy nodded her head towards Sam, "-opened the door for the maid, and she saw our weapons."

Dean turned to Sam. "Why'd you let the maid in?"

Sam shrugged. "It just happened."

"Whatever. I got to hit the head, and then we'll take off." Dean headed off towards the bathroom.

"All right. I-I'll be outside." Sam left the motel room, closing the door behind him.

Amy started cleaning up the weapons that were still lying out while she waited for Dean. He came out just as she finished packing up.

"Come on, let's get out of here."

Amy quickly moved to stop Dean. "Wait, hold on, Dean."

"What?"

"There is something seriously wrong with Sam," Amy said. "I mean, he asked who you were when I said you were coming back earlier, he was flexing in the mirror before you walked back in, and he just opened the motel room door without checking who it was earlier."

"So, what, you're saying that's not Sam?"

Amy shook her head. "I don't know what I'm saying. Just that something seems off with him tonight."

"I'll keep an eye on him," Dean said. "Come on, though. We better get going."

Amy followed Dean out to the Impala, where Sam was already waiting in the passenger seat. She slid into the back as Dean opened the driver's door.

"Hey. You ready?" Dean asked Sam.

"Absolutely." Sam grinned as Dean got into the car. "Hey, can I drive?"

"Drive?" Dean repeated.

Sam nodded. "Yeah, drive. Come on, man, please?"

"Uh, yeah, sure." Dean handed Sam the keys, and they switched places.

Sam started the engine. "Oh, this is so sweet!" he said excitedly as he began revving.

"You want to get the lead out, Andretti?" Dean asked. "Come on."

Sam put the car into gear.

"Reverse," Dean said. The car jumped back a bit. "Reverse!"

Amy instinctively grabbed the door handle as the Impala shot backward and hit the dumpster. She was thrown forward, hitting her head on the bench seat in front of her, as trash bags landed on the trunk.

"It's in reverse," Dean explained, his voice terse. He threw open the door and got out.

"I am really, really sorry," Sam said as he walked around to the other side of the car.

"Shut up," Dean snapped. He got back in on the driver's side and drove off. The trash bags on the trunk fell to the ground.

* * *

They arrived at another motel across town. Dean checked them into a room while Amy waited outside with Sam, eyeing him suspiciously.

Dean came back out, holding two room keys. He picked up his bag and led them up to the room. "Get some sleep," he said as everyone dropped their bags in the new place.

Sam jumped into the bed, kicking off his shoes. He smiled as he lay his head on the pillow and closed his eyes.

Amy and Dean stared at Sam in shock.

"Yeah, you're right," Dean said. "There's something off about him."

"I just wish I knew what," Amy said.

"We'll try to figure it out. In the meantime, we should get some sleep." Dean sat down on the edge of the bed. "Since Sam couldn't find out where this bitch is buried, we'll have to search every grave in town tomorrow."

Amy nodded. Her phone rang, and she pulled it out. It was a number she didn't recognize. "Hold on, I'm gonna take this call real quick."

"Well, do it outside," Dean said. "Key's on the nightstand."

Amy grabbed the room key and stepped outside. She answered the call and put the phone to her ear. "Hello?

"Amy?" It sounded like a teenage boy on the other line.

"Yeah?" Amy frowned.

"Amy, it's Sam," the boy said frantically. "Sam Winchester?"

"What?" Amy asked, confused. "Sam's in the motel room, asleep. Who is this?" she demanded.

"It's Sam," the boy insisted. "That's not me in there. It's my body, but not my mind. I don't know, this is weird."

"If you really are Sam, prove it," Amy demanded. "What's my last name?"

"Jones," Sam replied quickly. "Your birthday is January 18th, 1989. You'll be turning twenty-one in about two weeks. Dean and I have known you for almost three years. You're like a little sister to us, Ames." He took a deep breath. "Please believe me."

Amy let out a shaky breath. "I believe you," she said. "I knew something seemed off about you. Well, not you, but...oh, you know what I mean!"

"Where's Dean?" Sam asked. "I've been calling every one of his cells all day, but he's not answering."

"Well, he spent a couple hours looking for you earlier, but then he came back. We had to move motel rooms cause fake you opened the door and let the maid in earlier. Although...crap."

"What?"

"Fake you went out to the Impala before Dean and me," Amy realized. "I bet he did something while he was waiting. Give me a sec."

Amy ran down to the Impala and opened the door. She searched the glovebox to find all of Dean's phones gone. "Yep, I knew it," she said, putting the phone back to her ear.

"What is it?"

"All the phones in the glovebox are gone," Amy explained.

"What?" Sam asked with a hint of anger in his voice.

"Fake you-"

"Gary."

"What?"

"The kid's name is Gary," Sam explained.

"Okay, well, Gary must have gotten rid of the phones before Dean and I went out to the Impala."

"We gotta tell Dean," Sam said.

Amy nodded. "Yeah. I guess we're lucky I still had my phone in my back pocket."

"Now, what are we gonna do?" Sam asked.

"Let's get some sleep," Amy suggested. "It's late, and Dean and Gary both are already asleep, I think. I'll let Dean know what's going on in the morning, and hopefully, we can get this all figured out."

"Alright. Night, Ames."

"Night, Sam."

Amy ended the call and took a deep breath. Turns out, her suspicions had been right. Now they just needed to get the real Sam back. She stepped back into the room, eyeing Sam, no, Gary. He was sound asleep next to Dean.

Amy kicked off her shoes and lay down on the other bed. She stared up at the ceiling as she drifted off to sleep.

* * *

**January 4th, 2010**

Amy woke up the next morning to find that Dean was gone. Gary was sitting on the edge of the bed, watching TV.

"Where's Dean?" Amy asked.

Sam's eyes never left the screen. "He went out to get breakfast."

"Hmm." Amy nodded. She pulled out her phone, opened the camera app, and set it to record, just in case she needed proof for Dean. "So, I got an interesting phone call last night," she said.

Gary looked surprised. "Phone call?"

Amy nodded. "Yeah. Guess who it was from?"

Sam shrugged. "I dunno."

"Really?" Amy asked. "You have no idea who it could possibly have been...Sam?"

Sam shrugged again. "Nope."

"Let's try this again." Amy stood up. "You have no idea who could have possibly called me last night, saying they were the real Sam Winchester, Gary?"

That worked. Gary looked at her, a scared expression on his face. "How did you-?"

"I told you," Amy explained. "The real Sam called me last night." She held up her phone. "You missed my phone when you got rid of the others in the glove box. Guess you didn't know I had mine in my back pocket."

Gary put his hands up defensively. "Please don't tell Dean."

"And why shouldn't I?" Amy asked, folding her arms. "He's suspicious of you too, you know."

The door swung open before Gary could answer, and Dean stepped through, holding two paper bags.

Amy quickly stopped the recording and walked up to Dean. "I was right," she told him, pointing to Gary. "That's not Sam."

Dean reached for his gun. "What?"

Amy held up her phone. "The real Sam called me last night and told me everything." She could see Gary trying to stop her in the corner of her eye, but she kept going. "This-" she pointed to Sam's body, "-is a teenage boy named Gary who used a spell to swap minds with Sam."

Dean glared at Sam's body and stormed over to him, pinning his fake brother to the wall. "Where the hell is my brother?" he demanded.

"He-he's at my place," Gary stammered. "With my parents and sister."

Dean turned to Amy. "Why hasn't Sam called me yet?"

"Gary here got rid of all your phones in the glovebox," Amy explained. "I still had my phone in my pocket, though, so Sam was able to call me."

Dean glared at Gary again. "Amy, grab the rope from my bag."

Amy hurried over to Dean's duffle bag. She pulled out the rope and handed them over to Dean.

Dean released Gary and pushed him down into a chair, tying his arms up.

All right, pal. Either you start talking, or I start waterboarding," he threatened.

"Oh, my God. Please, don't hurt me. Please! I'm sorry! I'm so, so sorry!" Gary pleaded.

"Hey, pull it together, champ."

"I don't want to die," Gary said frantically, rocking back and forth. "I don't want to die."

"Why did you switch minds with Sam?" Amy asked.

"I just wanted to get closer to you," Gary told Dean. "We heard there was a bounty out on you guys, and I figured I could use Sam to get close to you."

"By swapping minds with him?" Dean snapped.

Gary whimpered again. "Don't hurt me!"

Amy sighed. "Now what?" she asked Dean.

"Now we find Sam and get this kid to give him his body back," Dean said. He untied Gary and pushed him towards the door. "Move, let's go!"

Dean half-shoved, half-pulled Gary to the Impala and shoved him into the back. Amy got into the passenger side, and Dean got in next to her, locking the back doors so Gary couldn't escape.

"Please don't do this!" Gary pleaded. "I'm sorry, I-"

"Shut up!" Dean snapped. He put the Impala into drive and peeled out of the parking lot.

* * *

Amy kept an eye on Gary the entire drive to make sure he didn't try anything. The only words Gary spoke during the drive was his friend's address, telling Dean that Sam would most likely be in the basement by now.

When they arrived at Gary's friend, Trevor's house, he led them down to the basement. Down there, they found two teenagers pacing around the room. Tied to a chair in the middle of the room was another teenage boy, who Amy recognized as the diner's server. He was wearing a blue and brown striped sweater under a blue vest.

Amy ran up to the teen. "Sam?" she asked.

"Ames!" Sam's voice came out slightly high pitched in the teenage body.

"What the hell is this?" Trevor demanded.

Dean shoved Gary further into the room. "I'm here for my brother," he demanded angrily.

The other girl stormed over to Gary. "You were supposed to knock him out, you dimwit! Not get caught."

"Sam called me last night on my cell," Amy said, holding up her phone, "told me everything."

Trevor groaned in frustration. "We told you to get rid of the phones."

"I thought I did," Gary defended.

"Hey, hey, hey!" Dean shouted. "Untie my brother." He pointed his gun at the teens. "Now!"

Gary rushed over and untied Sam from the chair.

"Good," Dean said. "Now reverse-" he waved his gun back and forth between Gary and Sam, "-this."

Gary began preparing the spell.

"Gary," the teen girl whispered, "do you really wanna do this? We have them both right here."

Gary slowly turned to look at Dean. "He's got a gun, Nora," he whispered back. "I have to."

After the ingredients were ready, Gary and Sam sat down on either side of a large bowl.

"Animae domum redeant. Fas atque nefas instauretur," Gary chanted. "Potestate et auctoritate, sic fiat." He dropped a powder into the bowl, and a light flared up. When it died down, Sam stood up and looked at himself in the mirror.

"So, we good?" Dean asked.

"Yeah." Sam smiled. "We're good. Oh, man, it's nice to be back."

"Nice to have you back, Sam," Amy said, smiling back.

"Yeah," Gary said dryly. "Awesome."

"So…" Dean cleared his throat. "Gary."

"I know – my bad."

""My bad"?" Dean repeated angrily. "Kid, "my bad" ain't gonna cut it. See, if you were of voting age... you'd be dead. Because we would kill you. So either you straighten up and fly right, or we will kill you. Are we clear?"

Gary nodded. "Crystal."

"Good." Dean turned to Sam and Amy. "Come on, we still gotta find Maggie Brigg's grave."

"Wait. M-Maggie Briggs?" Gary asked. "You mean, like – like, the witch Maggie Briggs?"

"Yeah, Sherlock," Dean confirmed.

"She's in the basement of Isaiah Pickett's house."

"Come again?"

Gary took a few steps forward. "Okay, there's this legend that he hung her, but he didn't. The real truth is that she was carrying his illegitimate child, and he killed her and then buried her in the basement."

"The murdered chylde," Dean realized. "That would explain the scratches." He turned back to Gary and nodded. "Thanks, kid."

They left the basement, the real Sam with them.

"Good to have you back, Sam," Amy repeated.

"Yeah," Sam said. "Guess I was lucky you still had your phone."

"Yeah," Amy agreed. "Real lucky."

They climbed into the Impala and sped off towards the abandoned house to finish the hunt.

* * *

They arrived at the house shortly after. Dean passed out flashlights and grabbed his duffle bag before leading the way inside.

Amy followed Sam and Dean into the basement, shining her flashlight around.

"You okay?" Dean asked Sam.

Sam nodded. "Yeah."

They approached a spot on the ground, covered in moss.

"Well, I'll be damned," Dean muttered. "Willow moss."

Sam chuckled. "Guess the kid was right after all."

"Yeah," Amy said. She pulled a shovel out of the bag. Sam and Dean did the same, and they began digging.

It hardly took any time to reach the bones of the witch.

Dean dropped his shovel to the ground. "Alright, let's do this." He bent down to get the lighter fluid and lighter from the bag.

As Dean dug around in the bag, Sam was suddenly thrown backward. He hit the wall on the other side of the basement.

"Sam!" Amy and Dean hurried over to the other Winchester.

"You okay?" Dean asked.

Sam groaned in pain. "Yeah, yeah, I'm okay."

Dean suddenly went flying into the wall next.

"Dean!" Amy cried out. She hurried over to the bag and found the lighter fluid before the ghost could reach her next.

As Amy poured the lighter fluid on the bones, the ghost threw her against the wall next.

A ghost appeared in front of Amy. She had stringy black hair and wore greyish clothing. The spirit of Maggie rushed towards Amy but burned up just before she could reach her.

Amy panted heavily as she looked over to see Dean standing over the burning grave. She leaned back against the wall. "Thanks," she said.

Sam pulled Amy to her feet. "You okay?"

"Yeah," Amy said with a nod. "Yeah, I'm good."

"Good." Sam picked up his shovel. "Let's get out of here."

They packed everything up and headed back out to the Impala. Dean put the bag back into the trunk, and they climbed back into the car.

"I'll call Donna when we get back to the room," Dean offered. "Let her know it should be safe to come home."

Sam nodded. "Alright."

"So, what was it like living as a teenager again?" Amy asked.

"Man, that kid's life sucked ass," Sam admitted.

"Really?" Dean asked.

"Yeah." Sam scoffed. "All that apple-pie, family crap? It's stressful. Trust me – we didn't miss a damn thing."

"Or we don't know what we're missing," Dean countered. He started the engine and drove down the road, back to the motel.


	47. The Song Remains the Same

**January 17th, 2010 - Georgetown, South Carolina**

Amy woke with a start one night when Dean shot up in bed, breathing heavily. She flicked on the light and glanced at the clock to see that it was just after three in the morning.

"Dean?" Amy asked sleepily. "You alright?"

"Yeah, I, uh," Dean slapped Sam on the shoulder, "-dude, wake up." He sat up, sitting on the edge of the bed.

Sam groaned as he rolled over. "Dean?" he mumbled. "What is it?"

"Anna came to me," Dean explained. "Gave me an address, told me to meet her there."

"Anna?" Amy repeated, sitting up. "Should we call Cas?"

Dean shook his head. "We don't need him for this.'

"Dean, I think Amy's got a point," Sam spoke. "It's been a year since we saw Anna. There's no telling whose side she's on."

"Over a year," Amy corrected.

"Fine," Dean agreed. "I'll let him know what's going on. We're leaving as soon as I hit the head."

Amy groaned as Dean headed into the bathroom. She sat on the edge of the bed for a moment before reaching down to pull on her shoes.

* * *

Ten minutes later, Cas appeared in the room. He had various ingredients and a couple ceramic jars of holy oil in his arms.

"Cas?" Dean asked. He had the keys to the Impala in his hands, ready to leave the motel. "I told you to meet us at the address."

"I went alone," Cas told them. "Found out what Anna was planning." He set the ingredients and jars down around a circular-shaped table.

"And that is?" Dean asked, pushing Cas for a little emphasis.

"She wants to go back in time and kill your parents before either of you are born," Cas stated as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. He pulled out a piece of chalk and began drawing a symbol on the table. "I need to figure out where she's going."

Amy sat on one of the beds, tapping her foot nervously, while Sam sat on the other.

Dean began pacing around the room. "Really? Anna?" he questioned. "I don't believe it."

"It's true." Cas continued drawing the symbol.

"So she's gone all Glenn Close, huh?" Dean asked. "That's awesome."

Cas straightened up, confused. "Who's Glenn Close?"

"No one, Cas," Amy said. "Just-"

"This psycho bitch who likes to boil rabbits," Dean finished as he walked closer to Sam.

"So the plan to kill me, would it actually stop Satan?" Sam asked.

"Sam!" Amy cried out in shock.

"Come on, man," Dean said in disbelief.

Sam glanced at Dean and Amy, then turned his attention back to Cas. "Cas, what do you think?" he asked the angel. "Does Anna have a point?"

Dean and Amy glanced over to Cas. Cas glanced at the two of them, then turned back to Sam. "No. She's, uh, Glenn Close."

Amy couldn't help but laugh. "Cas, you're adorable," she said.

Sam lowered his gaze.

Dean walked closer to Cas. "I don't get it. We're looking for the chick that wants to gank Sam?" He spread his arms out. "Why poke the bear?"

"Anna will keep trying. She won't give up until Sam is dead." Cas glanced up at Dean. "So we kill her first." He poured some oil into a bowl. "Zod ah ma ra la ee est la gi ro sa."

Red flames shot out of the bowl. Amy watched as Cas took a step away from the table and leaned on the back of a chair. She moved to help him as he closed his eyes, breathing heavily.

Finally, Cas opened his eyes. "I've found her."

"Where is she?" Dean asked.

"Not where," Cas corrected. "When." He straightened back up. "It's 1978."

"Come again?" Amy asked.

Sam stood up, joining Dean and Amy. "Why 1978? I wasn't even born yet."

"You won't be if she kills your parents."

"What?" Sam asked.

Cas walked up to Sam and Dean. "Anna can't get to you because of me. So she's going after them."

"Take us back right now," Dean demanded, his eyes cold.

"And deliver you right to Anna?" Cas countered. "I should go alone."

"They're our parents. Cas, we're going."

"It's not that easy." Cas turned and walked a few steps away.

"Why not?" Sam asked.

"Time travel was difficult, even with the powers of heaven at my disposal."

"But now you're cut off," Amy added.

"So, what, you're like a Delorean without enough plutonium?" Dean asked.

"I don't understand that reference. But I'm telling you, taking this trip, with passengers no less-" Cas shook his head, "-it'll weaken me.

Dean walked up to the angel. "They're our mom and dad. If we can save them, and not just from Anna... I mean, if we can set things right, we have to try."

"I'll stay here," Amy volunteered.

"What?" Dean asked.

"You heard what Cas said," Amy said, standing up. "Taking you two with him will weaken him. There's no point in me going too and making him worse. Besides, John and Mary are your guys' parents, not mine." She glanced back and forth between Sam and Dean. "You two go. I'll stay here."

Cas nodded. "We need to be prepared," he told Sam and Dean.

Dean grabbed his duffle bag. He opened it up and put it on the bed. "Put everything we need in here," he told Cas.

Amy helped pack for the trip. She handed Cas one of the ceramic jars as he put his angel blade into the bag.

Once everything was packed up, Cas picked up the duffle bag and turned to face Sam and Dean. "Ready?"

Sam took the bag from the angel and swung it over his shoulder. "Not really," he admitted.

"Bend your knees," Dean offered helpfully.

"And don't die," Amy added. She walked closer to them. "Seriously, guys, I mean it."

Cas placed two fingers on Sam and Dean's foreheads. In the blink of an eye, they were gone, leaving Amy alone in the empty motel room.

Amy glanced at the clock. It was just after three-thirty in the morning, and she was still tired. She flopped back down on the bed and closed her eyes, falling back asleep.

* * *

Amy woke up around ten to find Sam, Dean, and Cas still gone. She got out of bed, yawning as she made her way over to her duffle bag.

After getting dressed, Amy grabbed her wallet and the room key and headed outside. She began walking down the sidewalk to a diner she had seen the other day.

She wondered how Sam and Dean were doing over thirty years in the past. She knew they'd beat Anna and save the day, like always, but she still worried about them. Michael would be there, that she knew, but was Lucifer? She hoped not, but she couldn't quite remember.

Amy sighed. And then, of course, Dean would warn his mother about the night of November second, 1983, but Mary wouldn't remember.

If she was right, it was almost time for the showdown with Lucifer. It was just a few months away at this point. The more Amy thought about it, the more nervous she got. What if something went wrong? What if things didn't turn out the way they did in the episode? What if Sam-?

Amy shook her head. She didn't want to think about that right now.

She finally reached the diner. There was an empty table near a window that she sat down at.

A waiter walked over to her with a menu.

"Can I start you off with anything to drink?"

"Can I get some orange juice?" Amy asked. "And I actually already know what I want to eat as well."

The waiter took out a pen and notepad. "Alright. What can I get started for you?"

"I'll take a french toast, please," Amy said.

The waiter wrote down her order. "It comes with a choice of bacon or eggs for the side. Which would you like?"

"Bacon."

"Alright," the waiter said, taking her menu back. "Those will be ready for you in just a few minutes."

Amy leaned back in her chair and pulled out her phone. Not really finding anything to do on it, she set it on the table.

 _'Hey, Gabe, wanna hang out_?' she thought. ' _I'm at a diner down the street from the Copper motel in Georgetown, South Carolina_.'

The bell above the main entrance chimed, and Amy looked over to see Gabriel step into the diner. She smiled and waved him over.

Gabe walked over and sat down in the chair across from her. "Hey, kiddo," he greeted.

"Hey, Gabe! How have you been?"

Gabe shrugged. "Been alright." He looked around the diner. "So, where are Sam and Dean-o?"

"1978," Amy stated blandly.

"I'm sorry, what?"

"Sam and Dean are in 1978 with Cas." Amy said.

"Why would they go there?" Gabe asked.

"Uh, so, long story short," Amy began, "Anna came to Dean in a dream, told him to meet her at an address. Cas went instead and found out that Anna planned on going back in time and killing John and Mary Winchester before Sam and Dean were born. He used a spell to find out she was going to 1978 and decided to stop her."

She took a quick breath. "Sam and Dean insisted on going with him, even though Cas said a trip like that with passengers would weaken him due to being cut off from heaven. Sam and Dean went with him anyway, and I decided to stay behind because I just didn't see a point in going."

Gabe blinked several times.

"Yeah," Amy said slowly. "So... I'm kinda just hanging out here in 2010 until they get back."

"I could take you to 1978 if you want," Gabe offered. "You can meet up with them."

Amy shook her head. The waiter from earlier walked over and set her french toast and orange juice down in front of her. "Thanks, but that's alright, Gabe. I have no idea where or when in 1978 they are, and they'll probably be back pretty soon anyway."

"Alright," Gabe said, "just figured I'd offer." He stole a piece of bacon from Amy's plate.

"Dude!" Amy protested, trying not to laugh. She grabbed the second piece and took a bite before the archangel could take that one as well.

The waiter walked back over. "Can I get you anything to eat or drink, sir?"

"Oh, uh, no thank you," Gabe said, "I'm good."

"Very well."

Amy watched the waiter walk off again. She took a bite of her french toast and turned back to Gabe.

"Hey, isn't tomorrow your twenty-first birthday?" Gabe asked.

Amy paused for a moment, thinking. "Oh yeah, it is!" she finally exclaimed. "I can't believe you remembered that."

"Course I did, kiddo. I was the one that helped you figure that out, wasn't I?"

I mean, yeah, pretty much," Amy confirmed. "You finding my birth name did lead to me figuring out my birthday."

"So, are you gonna do anything?"

Amy shrugged. "I'm not sure. I don't even know if Sam and Dean will be back tomorrow, and knowing them both, I don't really think we'd go out and celebrate or anything."

"Who knows?" Gabe shrugged. "Maybe, you will."

"Yeah, maybe."

Amy finished eating and placed a ten-dollar bill on the table. "I'm gonna head back to the motel. You wanna come with?"

Gabe stretched his arms out. "Nah, I better get going."

Amy nodded, a little sad. "Alright. See you later, then?"

Gabe nodded. "I'll walk you outside."

They stood up and headed outside the diner.

"I wish you'd stay for at least a little bit," Amy said, turning to face Gabriel.

"I know, Amy. But I got some stuff I gotta take care of."

Amy gave Gabriel a small smile. "Alright. I'll see you later then, I guess."

Gabriel gave her a wave before disappearing in the blink of an eye. Amy sighed and turned back around to walk back to the motel.

* * *

Amy spent the rest of the day watching TV, browsing through her laptop, and waiting for Sam, Dean, and Cas to return. She glanced at her phone every few seconds to see if one of them had called her, but so far, nothing had happened.

After a dull day of doing nothing, she walked down to the same diner for dinner. She ordered herself a cheeseburger and fries and ate slowly as she scrolled through her phone.

After eating and paying, Amy headed back to the motel for the night. She took a quick shower and switched on the TV. She flipped through every channel but couldn't find anything to watch.

Sighing in defeat, she turned the TV back off again and lay face-first on the bed, with her head hanging over the edge.

When the blood started rushing to her head, Amy sat back up and glanced at the clock. It was a little after 9pm. With nothing else to do and no one to talk to, she switched off the lights and climbed into bed, falling asleep for the night.

* * *

**January 18th, 2010**

The next morning, Amy was woken by Sam and Dean rushing through the door. She nearly fell out of the bed at their sudden appearance. "You're back!" Noticing that Cas wasn't with them, she asked, "where's Cas?"

"He didn't come with us," Dean said breathlessly. "Michael sent us back."

"Wait, Michael?" Amy echoed. "As in, archangel, you're his vessel, Michael?"

Dean nodded. "Yeah."

Amy shook her head. "Okay, you guys are gonna need to fill me in on everything that happened."

"Don't worry, we will." Dean held up a paper bag. "But first, I need a drink."

"Yeah, me too," Sam spoke. He walked into the bathroom and started to unwrap cups from the plastic wrap while Dean pulled out the whiskey bottle at the table behind him.

Amy stood, watching the two. In the blink of an eye, Cas suddenly appeared, facing Sam. "Cas!" she cried out, running over to the angel. "Oh my god."

Sam and Dean turned as well, helping Amy grab Cas to keep him from falling.

"Hey. Hey, hey," Sam said quickly, shifting his weight to hold up the angel. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. We got you."

"You son of a bitch," Dean gasped out. "You made it."

"You had us worried sick, dude," Amy said, concerned.

"I...I did? I'm very surprised." Cas suddenly collapsed in the hunters' arms.

"Whoa! You're okay." Sam said as he caught the angel from falling.

Amy stepped out of the way as Sam and Dean took Cas by the arms.

"Bed?" Dean asked.

Sam nodded. "Yeah, yeah."

They hauled Cas to the closet bed and laid him down.

"Well, I could use that drink now," Dean muttered.

"Yeah."

"You want one, Ames?" Dean offered.

"I'll pass," Amy said, waving a hand.

"You know," Dean began, "I'm pretty sure the girl whose twenty-first birthday is today deserves a drink."

"You remembered?" Amy asked in shock.

Dean nodded. "Course I did, kiddo." Dean took out a third cup. "Now come on, have a drink, alright?"

Amy smiled. "Oh, alright."

Dean poured out three drinks, handing one to Sam and one to Amy.

Amy took a sip of her drink. She'd had a couple of drinks before, but this one felt different. It felt more memorable compared to all the others.

"Well...this is it." Dean set the bottle on the table.

"This is what?" Sam asked, taking a sip of his drink.

"Team Free Will," Dean continued. "One ex-blood junkie, one dropout with six bucks to his name, a telepathic lost girl, and Mr. Comatose over there. It's awesome."

"It's not funny."

Dean took a drink. "I'm not laughing."

Sam sighed. "They all say we'll say yes."

"I know. It's getting annoying."

"What if they're right?"

Dean took another drink. "They're not."

"Dean's right," Amy said, "they're not."

"I mean, why, why would we, either of us?" Sam hesitated. "But... I've been weak before."

"Sam."

"Michael got Dad to say yes," Sam argued.

"That was different," Dean argued back. "Anna was about to kill Mom."

"And if you could save Mom...what would you say?"

Dean fell silent. He turned to Cas, who was still lying unconscious on the bed.

"So, is anyone gonna fill me in on what happened?" Amy asked.

Dean took another drink. "Yeah, don't worry."

* * *

Sam and Dean filled Amy in on everything that had happened. They told her about finding their parents, their mom already being pregnant with Dean. About being holed up in an abandoned house after Anna arrived, and how Anna was with Uriel.

"Uriel was there?" Amy asked.

Dean nodded. "Anna ended up killing Sam, but then Michael showed up possessing dad."

Amy shifted on the bed. "Right, he can possess anyone in your bloodline, but you're still his true vessel."

Dean nodded again. "He got dad to say yes and brought Sam back. The guy's pretty confident I'll say yes."

Amy sighed. "Yeah."

"Do I?" Dean asked. "Say yes, I mean."

Amy stared at Dean for a moment before shaking her head. "No," she answered honestly. "You don't."

"We'll figure this out, Dean," Sam added. "We always do."

"Right," Amy agreed. She gave the older Winchester a small smile. "Don't worry, Dean. We got this."


	48. My Bloody Valentine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, long time no see. I’m really sorry that this chapter took so long to get out. That was never my intention, I just had a small period where I lost my motivation to write anything. I think I was just drained out from a combination busy work schedule and all the writing I had done before. That said, this story is almost at an end, and I promise the rest of the chapters won’t take as long as this one did to get out.

**February 14th, 2010 - Sioux Falls, South Dakota**

Valentine’s Day had arrived, and so had another case. The hunters had gotten word of a ‘sexual suicide’ where two people were on a date and ate each other to death.

Amy went with Sam to one of the victims’ apartments, while Dean went to the coroner’s office to look at the bodies. 

They were greeted at the door by the victim’s roommate. 

“Are you Alice Storen’s roommate?” Sam asked, pulling out his badge. Amy followed suit, pulling out her badge as well.

The woman nodded. She had a sad look in her eyes as she pushed her brown hair out of her face.

“I’m Agent Cliff,” Sam said. He gestured to Amy. “This is my partner, Agent Smith.”

Amy gave the woman a nod. “We’re here about the death of Alice and her boyfriend?”

The woman nodded. “Come on in.” She stepped aside and let the two hunters into the apartment. 

They walked into the kitchen, where the two bodies had been found. Sam walked over to the fridge and examined a blood-splattered picture of Cupid on the refrigerator. “So...you were the one who found the bodies?” he asked.

Alice’s roommate took two picture frames from the fireplace mantle. “There was blood everywhere,” she told them, “...and...other stuff. I think Alice was already dead.”

“What about Russell?” Amy asked. She made her way around the table to stand next to Sam.

The women walked over to an open box and placed the pictures inside. “I think he was, mostly, except... he was still sort of...chewing a little.”

“Oh.” Sam grimaced. “Uh-huh.”

“How do two people even do that?” the roommate asked. “Eat each other to death?”

“That’s what I’d like to know,” Amy muttered. 

Sam nodded in agreement. “The last few days, did you notice her acting erratically?” he asked.

“How do you mean?”

“I mean, did she seem...unusually hostile, aggressive?” Sam elaborated.

The woman shook her head. “No way. Alice never drank, never even swore. She was a nice girl. And I’m talking, like, a nice girl--Like she still had her promise ring, if you know what I mean.”

“She was a virgin?” Sam asked. 

Amy turned to the tile in front of the fridge, where she could still faintly see the blood on the tile.

“No premarital.” The roommate leaned down to pick something up off the table. “I used to wonder how she did it. I mean, you know, didn’t do it.” She picked a stuffed rabbit up from the table and stroked it. “It was her first date in months. She was so excited.”

“Apparently, they were both pretty excited,” Sam muttered. He frowned, looking around the room. “Okay, well, I think my partner and I have everything we need. We’ll call you if we have any more questions.”

The woman nodded silently. Amy and Sam left the apartment and headed back down to the car. 

“This has gotta be the weirdest case ever,” Amy commented as they approached the car.

Sam sighed. “Come on, let’s get back to the motel. Hopefully, Dean got something.”

  
  


Sam and Amy stopped for fast food on the way back to Diamond Jack’s Motel. They entered the room to find Dean sitting with his feet up on the table, reading through a file.

“How’d it go?” Dean asked.

Sam closed the door. “Um...No EMF, no sulfur. Ghost possession and demonic possession are both probably out.”

“Hmm. That’s where I was puttin’ my money.”

Sam shook his head slightly. “Nope.”

“How’d it go at the coroner’s office?” Amy asked.

Dean rubbed his eyes. “Oh, you guys should have seen the bodies,” he said. “I mean, these two started eating a-and they just... kept going. I mean, their stomachs were full. Like - like Thanksgiving-dinner full. Talk about co-dependent.” He picked up a beer bottle and took a drink.

Sam sat down across from Dean. “Well...I mean, we got our feelers out. Not much more, we can do tonight.” He took a deep breath and pulled his laptop closer. “All right. I’m just gonna go through some files. You can go ahead and get going.”

Dean took his feet off the table. “Sorry?”

Amy rolled her eyes. “Oh, come on, Dean. Even I know what Sam’s talking about.”

Dean looked back and forth between Sam and Amy. “Where am I going?” he asked them.

“Dean, it’s Valentine’s day,” Sam reminded his brother. “Your favorite holiday, remember? I mean, what do you always call it-- uh, unattached drifter Christmas?”

Dean sighed and stood up from the table. “Oh, yeah. Well... be that as it may...” he grabbed a new beer bottle from the cooler and opened it up, turning back to Sam, “I don’t know. Guess I’m not feeling it this year.”

“So, you’re not into bars full of lonely women?”

“Nah, I guess not.” Dean took a sip of his beer. Sam continued staring at him. “Ahh. What?”

“Who are you and what have you done with Dean Winchester?” Amy asked.

“It’s when a dog doesn’t eat,” Sam said. “That’s when you know something’s really wrong.”

Dean nodded and made his way back over to the table. “Remarkably patronizing concern duly noted. Nothing’s wrong. We gonna work or what?”

Amy eyed Dean worriedly as he opened the file back up. She glanced over at Sam to see that he had the same expression on his face. Something was definitely wrong.

* * *

**February 15th, 2009**

The next morning, they got a call about another mysterious double suicide. Dean drove them down to the Coroner’s office and headed inside.

As they walked down the hallway, they passed a bald man carrying a briefcase. Sam turned to the man, giving him an odd expression and sniffing the air.

“You okay?” Dean asked.

Sam nodded. “Yeah, I’m fine.”

Amy frowned, wondering what was going on, as she followed the Winchesters into the Coroner’s office. 

An older doctor was in the room, finishing up with the body. Dean led Sam and Amy into the room, getting the doctor’s attention.

“Agent Marley, you just can’t stay away,” the doctor said. He was a large, balding man with white hair and glasses.

“Heard you tagged another double suicide.”

The doctor nodded. “Well, I just finished closing them up.”

Dean gestured to Sam and Amy. “Doctor Corman, these are my partners, special agent Cliff and special agent Smith.”

Doctor Corman shook Sam and Amy’s hands. “Agent Cliff, agent Smith. I’ve finished my prelims.” he walked across the room, pulling off his lab coat. “I pulled the organ sets and sent off the tox samples.”

“Great. You mind if we take a look at the bodies?” Sam asked.

“Not at all. But like I said, their...” Doctor Corman opened the fridge, revealing several plastic containers with organs inside. “good-and-plenties are already tupperwared.”

Amy forced a smile.

“Super,” Sam said. 

Doctor Corman closed the fridge. “Leave the keys with Marty up front. And please, refrigerate after opening, you three.” He tossed Dean the keys to the room and picked up his hat and jacket before leaving the room. 

The hunters put on aprons and gloves before getting the containers out of the fridge. They sat down at the table and opened the containers.

“Hey.” Dean slid over a container with a heart in it to Sam. “Be my Valentine?”

Amy rolled her eyes and went back to examining the heart in front of her.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa,” Sam said quickly. “Wait a second. These hearts both have identical marks. Check this out.”

Amy leaned over to see Sam pointing to a strange looking symbol on the heart with a pen. “What is that?” she asked.

“It looks like some kind of letter.” Sam’s eyes went wide. “Oh, no.”

“What?” Dean asked.

“I think it’s Enochian,” Sam said.

“Enochian?” Amy echoed. 

“You mean like angel scratches?” Dean asked. “So you think it’s like the tagging on our ribs?”

Sam shrugged. “Dean, I don’t know.”

“Ah, hell.” Dean stood up and dialed a number on his phone. He walked around the room as he talked. “Cas, it’s Dean. Yeah, room 31-c, basement level...” He continued talking as he walked around the metal table. “St. James medical center.”

The angel suddenly appeared inches from Dean’s face. “I’m there now.” His voice echoed through the phone.

Dean stared at Cas. “Yeah, I get that.”

“I’m gonna hang up now.”

“Right.”

“Get a room, you two,” Amy said jokingly.

Cas and Dean hung up their phones. Amy saw Dean roll his eyes as Cas walked over to the table where she and Sam were. 

Cas picked up one of the hearts and studied it. “You’re right, Sam,” he confirmed. “These are angelic marks. I imagine you’ll find similar marks on the other couples’ hearts as well--”

“So, what are they?” Sam asked. “I mean, what do they mean?”

“It’s a mark of union.” Cas set the heart down. “This man and woman were intended to mate.”

“Okay, but who put them there?” Dean asked.

“Well, your people call them Cupid,” Cas said.

“A what?” Sam asked.

“Oh, come on, Sam,” Amy said, “Surely, you’ve heard of Cupid.”

“What human myth has mistaken for “Cupid” is actually a lower order of angel,” Cas explained as he walked away from the table. “Technically, it’s a cherub, third-class.”

“Cherub?” Dean asked. 

“Yeah, they’re all over the world,” Cas confirmed. “There are dozens of them.”

“You mean the little flying fat kid in diapers?” Dean asked.

Cas spun around to face them. “They’re not incontinent.”

“Okay, anyway.” Sam changed the subject. “So, what you’re saying--”

Cas cut Sam off. “What I’m saying,” the angel snapped, “is a Cupid has gone rogue, and we have to stop him--before he kills again.”

“Oh, so, nothing new, then,” Amy muttered.

“Naturally,” Sam said.

Dean sighed. “Of course we do.”

“How are we supposed to find...” Amy paused for a moment, taking a moment to process what she was about to say, “Cupid, anyway?”

“The cupid is at the Bar and Grill three miles from here,” Cas said.

“And you just happen to know that?” Dean asked. When Cas didn’t answer, he sighed. “Bar and Grill it is then.”

“I was getting kinda hungry, anyway,” Amy muttered. She helped Sam and Dean close up the tupperware containers and put them back into the fridge. 

  
  


They drove to the restaurant and pulled up to the curb. Cas appeared on the sidewalk as the hunters got out of the car.

“The Cupid is in there,” Cas stated, looking up at the restaurant in front of them.

“And you’re sure about this?” Dean asked.

Cas turned to Dean. “Yes.” 

Without another word, Cas walked inside the restaurant. Sam, Dean, and Amy exchanged a glance before following the angel inside.

They were seated at a nearby table. Dean and Amy ordered cheeseburgers while Sam got himself a salad. Cas sat awkwardly next to Sam as he looked around the crowded room.

* * *

A short while later, a waitress brought out three plates of food and set them down in front of the hunters.

“So, what, you just happen to know he likes the cosmos at this place?” Dean asked Cas. 

Amy picked up her burger, taking a bite as Cas turned to Dean.

“This place is a nexus of human reproduction,” Cas replied. “It’s exactly the kind of,” he paused, watching Dean put ketchup on his burger, “of garden the Cupid will come to-- to pollinate.

Dean brought his burger to his mouth but put it down before he could take a bite. 

Sam raised an eyebrow at his brother. “Wait a minute. You’re not hungry?” he asked jokingly.

“No,” Dean said. Sam stared in shock. “What?” he asked defensively. “I’m not hungry.”

Amy scoffed. “You sick or something?”

Cas pointed to Dean’s plate. “Then you’re not gonna finish that?” he asked. When Dean didn’t reply, the angel reached across the table and took the burger. 

Amy, Sam, and Dean watched in shock as Cas picked up the burger as if he was going to take a bite. 

Just before the burger reached his mouth, Cas turned to a couple at a nearby table. “He’s here.”

Amy looked around. 

“Where?” Sam asked. “I don’t see anything.”

Cas pointed to the couple. “There.”

“You mean the same-side-of-the-booth couple over there?” Dean asked.

“Meet me in the back.” 

Amy turned back to Cas’s seat, only to find the angel gone. 

Sam and Dean sighed before standing up and walking towards the back of the restaurant. Amy stood up, grabbing a few fries before following them.

* * *

They found Cas in a dark room with his arm outstretched in front of him. 

“Cas, where is he?” Sam asked.

“I have him tethered.” Cas began to chant. “ _ Zoda kama mahrana _ . Manifest yourself.” He lowered his hand as nothing happened.

“So, where is he?” Dean asked, stepping forward. Out of nowhere, he let out a cry. “Oof!”

“Here I am!”

Amy spun around to see a large, almost entirely naked man hugging a terrified looking Dean from behind.

“Help!” Dean pleaded.

“Oh, help is on the way,” Cupid said as he giggled and shook Dean around. “Yes, it is. Yes, it is. Hello, you!” He dropped Dean and walked up to Castiel, picking up the angel in a hug.

Cas let out a shocked noise as the Cupid shook him up and down.

“This is Cupid?” Dean asked.

“Yes,” Cas said in a strained voice.

Cupid put Castiel down and turned to Amy. “Come here, you!” 

“No, no, no, no, no!” Amy said quickly, trying to back away from the man strolling towards her. 

Cupid gave her a huge grin. “Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes,” he said happily. He reached Amy in a few strides and picked her up.

‘Put me down, put me down, put me down,’ Amy pleaded in her head as her feet lifted from the ground and Cupid shook her from side to side.

Finally, Amy was set back down on the ground. The image of Cupid hugging her was still fresh in her mind as Cupid eventually turned to Sam.

“And look at you, huh?” Cupid began making his way towards Sam.

“No.” Sam turned away, but Cupid appeared in front of him and pulled him into a hug as well. 

“Yes! Yes, yes, yes!”

“Cas, what the hell is happening?” Amy asked.

“Is this a fight?” Dean asked, still looking shaken up. “Are we in a fight?”

“This is... their handshake,” Cas said slowly.

“I don’t like it.”

“Me either,” Amy added.

“No one likes it,” Cas admitted.

Cupid finally put Sam down and turned to the others. “What can I do for you?” he asked.

“Why are you doing this?” Cas demanded.

“Doing what?” Cupid asked.

“Your targets,” Cas explained, “the ones you’ve marked. They’re slaughtering each other.”

Cupid’s smile fell into a frown. “What? They are?”

Amy frowned as well. Cupid genuinely looked like he didn’t know what they were talking about.

“Listen, birthday suit, we know, okay?” Dean spoke up. “We know you been flittin’ around, popping people with your poison arrow, making them murder each other!”

“What we don’t know is why,” Castiel added.

“You think that I...” Cupid trailed off as he began to cry. “Well, uh...I don’t know what to say.”

Amy sighed. “Great,” she muttered.

“Should...Should somebody maybe... go talk to him?” Sam asked uneasily. 

“Yeah, that’s a good idea.” Dean gave Cas a light shove. “Give ’em hell, Cas.”

Cas walked towards the crying Cupid. “Um... look,” he began awkwardly. “We didn’t mean to, um-” he turned back to the hunters. Dean gave Cas a thumbs up, and the angel turned back around “-hurt your feelings.” He suddenly let out a groan as the Cupid hugged him again.

“Love is more than a word to me, you know,” Cupid said as he put his head on Cas’s shoulder. “I love love. I love it! And if that’s wrong, I don’t want to be right!”

“Yes, yes. Of course. I, uh...I have no idea what you’re saying,” Cas admitted.

Cupid pulled away from the hug. He held Cas’s arms at his side. “I was just on my appointed rounds. Whatever my targets do after that, that’s nothing to do with me,” he told them. “I- I was following my orders. Please brother. Read my mind. Read my mind, you’ll see.”

Cas stared into Cupid’s eyes for a moment. Finally, he relaxed, turning back to the hunters. “He’s telling the truth.”

Cupid sighed in relief. “Jiminy Christmas. Thank you.”

“Wait, wait, you said--You said you were just following orders?” Dean asked.

Cupid nodded. “Mm-hmm.”

“Whose orders?”

“Whose?” Cupid repeated. He let out a laugh. “Heaven, silly. Heaven.”

“Why does heaven care if Harry meets Sally?” Dean questioned.

“Oh, mostly they don't,” Cupid said. “You know, certain bloodlines, certain destinies. Oh, like yours.” He turned to Amy. “And yours.”

Sam stepped closer. “What?”

“Huh?” Amy asked.

“Yeah, the union of John and Mary Winchester, and the union of Jessica and Henry Jones. Very big deals upstairs, top priority arrangement.”

“Are you saying that you fixed-up our parents?”

“And mine?” Amy added.

“Well, not me, but, yeah.” Cupid chuckled. “Well, it wasn't easy, either. Ooh, they couldn't stand each other at first. But when we were done with them...perfect couple.”

“Perfect?” Dean asked.

“Yeah.”

“They're dead!” Dean snapped. “Hers are too!”

Cupid’s smile fell. “I'm sorry, but... the orders were very clear. You and Sam needed to be born. As did Amy. Your parents were just, uh...meant to be.” He did a small dance. “A match made in heaven- heaven!” he sang.

Dean balled up his fist and swung it at Cupid’s face. Cupid didn’t move an inch as Dean spun back around, holding his now injured hand.

“Son of a bitch!” Dean shouted.

Cupid vanished from the room. 

Dean spun back around, looking where Cupid had just been standing. “Where is he? Where'd he go?!”

“I believe you upset him,” Castile said. 

“Upset him?!” Dean repeated angrily. 

“Dean. Enough!” Sam snapped. 

“What?”

“You just punched a Cupid!”

“I punched a dick!” Dean countered. 

“Um...Are we gonna talk about what's been up with you lately or not?” Sam asked.

Dean’s face fell into a scowl. “Or not.” He shoved his way past Sam and Amy and stormed out of the room. 

Sam and Amy watched as Dean walked away. They exchanged a quick glance before following him back out to the car.

* * *

They drove back to the motel in silence. 

Dean finally broke the silence when they arrived. “So, if it’s not a homicidal Cupid we’re dealing with here, what is it?” He unlocked the motel room and led them inside. “Ames, any ideas?”

Amy shook her head. “Nada.” She sat down on the far bed as Sam and Dean sat at the table.

“Hmm.”

Sam’s phone began to ring. “This is agent Cliff,” he answered.

There was a brief pause as Sam listened to the person on the other line. There were various “uh, huh”’s before Sam finally said, “alright, sounds good. We’ll be there first thing in the morning.”

“Doctor Corman?” Dean asked as Sam hung up his phone.

“Uh, yeah.”

“He get another weird death?” Amy asked.

Sam nodded. “Said he wants us to go check it out in the morning.”

“Alright,” Dean said. “We’ll head over there first thing.” He threw himself facedown onto the bed and sighed. “In the meantime, screw consciousness.”

Amy scoffed and shook her head at the older Winchester, but slid off the bed and grabbed her duffle bag. It was getting late, and she was getting tired.

Amy headed into the bathroom and changed out of her FBI uniform. After slipping into something more comfortable, she ran a brush through her hair and headed back out to the main part of the motel room. Tossing her bag back onto the ground, she laid down on the bed and fell asleep.

* * *

**February 16th, 2010**

The next morning, Amy woke up to find Sam and Dean already dressed.

“Morning, sleepyhead,” Dean said jokingly as he took a sip of his coffee.

Amy stretched her arms as she slid out of bed. “So, we going to see that new body doctor Corman called about?”

“You and Sam are,” Dean corrected. “I’m gonna stay here and see if I can dig up any more info on what’s going on.”

Amy nodded. “Okay. Let me just get dressed real quick, and then we can go.”

  
  


After getting dressed, Amy and Sam climbed into the Impala and headed back down to the medical center. 

Doctor Corman was waiting for them at the end of the hallway. Sam had called him on the drive over to let him know they were on their way. 

“You said you wanted to hear about any other weird ones,” Doctor Corman said as he led them into the morgue. 

“Okay.”

Doctor Corman led the hunters over to a gurney and pulled back the sheet covering the corpse. 

Amy looked down at the body of a man with a grossly distended belly. 

“Lester Finch.” Doctor Corman handed Sam a file. “Pulled his records. Looks like this gentleman used to weigh 400 pounds or so till he got a gastric bypass, which brought down his weight considerably. But then, for some reason, last night, he decided to go on a Twinkie binge.”

“Any idea why?” Amy asked

Doctor Corman shrugged. “No clue. But, after he blew out the band around his stomach, he filled it up till it burst. When he could no longer swallow, he started jamming the cakes down his gullet with a-,” he paused briefly, “-with a toilet brush like he was ramrodding a cannon.”

Sam pulled at his collar, uncomfortably. “So, what do you make of it?” he asked.

“I'd say that it was a very peculiar thing to do...”Doctor Corman finished by taking a drink from his flask.

Sam and Amy exchanged a disgusted look before thanking the doctor and leaving the building.

As they walked back towards the Impala, Sam pulled out his phone and called Dean. 

“Hey. So, uh, this guy was not marked by Cupid,” Sam said into his phone, “but his death is definitely suspicious.” There was a brief pause before he spoke again. “Yeah, if there's a pattern here, it ain't just love. It's a hell of a lot bigger than we thought.”

Amy leaned against the car while she waited for Sam to unlock the doors. 

Sam rubbed his temples as he listened to Dean on the other line. “Yeah, okay.” He ended the call and pocketed his phone. Instead of unlocking the car, he turned back around towards the medical center and glared.

Amy shivered and leaned over to see what Sam was looking at. Coming out of the building was the same bald man they had seen a couple of days ago, carrying a briefcase.

“Wait here, Amy,” Sam instructed. 

“Where are you going?” Amy asked as Sam took off after the man.

“Just wait!” Sam called back. He disappeared down an alleyway after the bald man. 

Amy shivered again, realizing Sam hadn’t given her the keys, and the car was still locked. She rubbed her hands together to warm them up before using her powers to unlock the passenger side door. She climbed into the car and closed the door. 

It was only slightly warmer inside the car with the heat off, but Amy figured it was better than being out in the cold.

While she waited for Sam, she pulled out her phone and opened up her contacts. Maybe now would be a good time to call her grandparents? She had met them two months ago but hadn’t talked to them since. 

Her finger hovered over the “talk” button. Maybe her grandparents didn’t want to talk to her. They hadn’t called her either in the last two months.

The driver’s door opened, and Sam slid into the car, bringing Amy out of her thoughts.

“Hey,” Amy said, putting her phone back in her pocket. “Where’d you...” she trailed off as Sam placed the briefcase the bald man had been carrying into her lap, “-go?” she finished.

Sam started the engine. “Demon,” he stated. “I got that suitcase off of him.”

Amy raised an eyebrow. “How’d you know that guy was a demon?”

Sam shifted in his seat as he began driving down the street. Amy decided not to push the matter any further. She placed the briefcase on the floor by her feet and stared out her window.

* * *

Dean was waiting for them in the motel room when they returned. Amy carried the briefcase as Sam led her up to the room.

“There you guys are,” Dean said as they entered. He nodded at the briefcase. “Where’d you get the briefcase?”

“Demon,” Sam said.

“Demon?” Dean echoed. He turned to Amy.

Amy shrugged and set the case on the table. “Don’t look at me, dude. Sam told me to wait by the car, then he took off down an alley after some bald guy and came back a few minutes later with a briefcase. I know about as much as you.”

“What the hell does a demon got to do with this, anyway?” Dean asked.

“Believe me, I got no idea,” Sam said. He shifted on the spot again.

Dean noticed. “You okay?”

“Yeah, yeah,” Sam said quickly. “I'll be alright.”

Dean looked down at the briefcase. “Let's crack her open. What's the worst that could happen, right?”

“You just had to say that, didn’t you?” Amy asked.

Dean opened up the suitcase and a blinding white light emitted from it.

Amy quickly shielded her eyes, trying to blink away the spots that were now clouding her vision.

“What the hell was that?” Dean gasped out as the light died down.

“It's a human soul,” Castiel said from behind them. He was holding a White Castle bag in one hand and a burger in the other. “It's starting to make sense.” He took a bite of his burger.

Amy had to blink a couple times to make sure she was seeing things correctly. Cas was eating? What the hell was going on?

“Now, what about that makes sense?” Sam asked, pointing to the briefcase.

“And when did you start eating?” Dean asked.

“Exactly. My hunger-- it's a clue, actually.” Cas took another bite of his burger.

“For what?” The three hunters asked simultaneously.

“This town is not suffering from some love-gone-wrong effect,” Cas explained as he walked closer to them. “It's suffering from hunger. Starvation, to be exact--specifically...famine.”

“Isn’t that a horseman?” Amy asked.

Cas nodded and took another bite of his burger.

Dean scoffed. “Great. Th- th-that's freaking great.”

“I thought famine meant starvation, like as in, you know, food,” Sam said.

“Yeah,” Amy agreed.

Cas nodded. “Yes. Absolutely. But not just food. I mean, everyone seems to be starving for something--sex, attention, drugs, love...”

“Well, that explains the puppy-lovers that Cupid shot up,” Dean realized.

“Right. The cherub made them crave love, and then Famine came, and made them rabid for it.” Cas ate some more of his burger.

“Okay, but what about you?” Dean gestured to Cas. “I mean, since when do angels secretly hunger for White Castle?”

“It's my vessel-- Jimmy,” Cas said, a hint of shame in his voice. “His, uh, appetite for red meat has been touched by Famine's effect.”

“So, Famine just rolls into town, and everybody goes crazy?”

"And then will come Famine riding on a black steed. He will ride into the land of plenty... " Cas quoted. "And great will be the Horseman's hunger, for he is hunger. His hunger will seep out and poison the air." Cas finished off his burger and pulled out another one from the bag. “Famine is hungry. He must devour the souls of his victims.”

“So, the guy who died from a twinkie binge?” Amy asked. “That was his soul in that briefcase?”

Cas nodded. “Lucifer has sent his demons to care for Famine, to feed him, make certain he'll be ready.”

“Ready for what?” Sam asked.

“To march across the land.”

Dean began pacing around the room as Cas sat on the bed. Amy sat next to the angel as Sam pulled at his shirt’s collar and made his way into the bathroom.

“Famine?” Dean repeated.

“Yes,” Cas replied through a mouthful of cheeseburger.

“So, what, this whole town is just gonna eat, drink, and screw itself to death?” Sam called out from the bathroom.

“Yes.” Cas shoved another bite of his burger into his mouth. “We should stop it.”

“Yeah, no shit, Sherlock,” Amy muttered.

“How?” Dean asked.

“How did you stop the last horseman you met?”

“We cut the ring off his finger,” Amy recalled.

Dean pulled out War’s ring and held it up for Cas to see. “And after we did that, he just tucked tail and ran. And everybody that was affected, it was like they woke up out of a dream. You think Famine's got a class ring, too?”

“I know he does.”

“Well, okay. L- let's track him down and get to chopping.”

“Yeah.” Cas stood up and looked sadly into his empty bag.

“What are you, the Hamburglar?” Dean asked jokingly.

“I've developed a taste for ground beef,” Cas admitted.

“Well, have you even tried to stop it?”

“I'm an angel. I can stop anytime I want.”

Amy scoffed disbelievingly.

Dean rolled his eyes. “Whatever. Sam, let's roll.”

“Dean...I, um...I can't,” Sam called out shakily. “I can't go.” He stumbled out of the bathroom, sweating heavily as he leaned on the doorframe.

“What do you mean?” Dean asked.

Sam let out a heavy, shaky breath.

“Sam?” Amy asked worriedly.

“I think it got to me,” Sam admitted. “I think I'm hungry for it...”

Amy knew immediately what Sam was talking about. “Crap,” she whispered.

“Hungry for what?” Dean asked.

“You know.”

“Demon blood?” 

Sam hung his head in response.

Amy sighed and spun around, placing her hands on the back of her head as she began to pace.

“You got to be kidding me.” Dean turned to Cas. “You got to get him out of here. You got to beam him to, like, Montana. Anywhere but here.”

Cas shook his head. “It won't work. He's already infected. The hunger is just gonna travel with him.”

“Well, then, what do we do?” Dean asked.

“You go cut that bastard's finger off,” Sam said in a strained voice.

Dean shrugged. “You heard him.”

“But, Dean,” Sam began, “before you go, you better...you better lock me down - but good.”

Dean looked at his brother and sighed. He pulled a pair of handcuffs from his duffle. 

Sam stumbled back into the bathroom. Amy followed Dean and Cas as they walked in after Sam.

Dean handcuffed Sam to the bathroom sink pipe. “All right, well, just hang in there. We'll be back as soon as we can.”

Sam let out a groan. “Be careful. And... hurry.”

Amy took a final look at Sam before walking back out of the bathroom with Dean and Cas. The angel used a hand to push the dresser in front of the door, and they left the motel.

* * *

Dean drove them to the medical center. He led Cas and Amy down the hallway until they spotted Marty. “Hey, Marty. Is Doctor Corman around?”

“You haven't heard?” Marty asked.

“Heard what?”

“Doctor Corman died last night.”

Dean and Amy exchanged a look. 

“How’d it happen?” Amy asked.

Marty led them into the morgue and over to the metal table. He pulled back the sheet, revealing the pale, lifeless face of doctor Corman.

“Guy's been dry for the last 20 years,” Marty explained, “but this morning, he left work, went home, and drank himself to death.”

“It's Famine,” Cas stated.

Marty looked confused. “Pardon?”

“Would you give us a minute, please?” Dean asked the young man.

Marty nodded. “Sure.” He left the room.

“Thanks.” Dean walked around Corman’s body. “Crap! I really kind of liked this guy.”

Cas held a hand over doctor Corman. “They haven't harvested his soul yet.”

“Well, if we want to play "follow the soul" to get to Famine, our best shot starts with the doc, here,” Dean said.

“What are we gonna do after we find Famine?” Amy asked.

“We’ll think of that when the time comes,” Dean replied. “But we better get out of here before that demon comes back for Corman’s soul.

* * *

They headed back outside to the Impala. When they got to the car, Amy turned to ask Cas something, only to find him not there. She looked around for him, before turning to Dean.

“Uh, Dean?”

Dean turned around, his hand on the car door. “Yeah?”

“Where’s Cas?”

Dean looked around, as well. He opened the door and peered inside the car to see if Cas had just gone to the passenger seat. Finally, he straightened up and muttered. “Son of a bitch.”

“Guessing he’s not in the car, then?”

Dean shook his head. “Come on, get in the car. Hopefully he’ll show up, but we still gotta find out where that soul is being taken to.”

Amy climbed into the backseat of the Impala as Dean got into the front. They sat in silence in the dark while they waited for a demon to walk out of the building.

* * *

About five minutes later, Cas returned in the passenger seat. He was holding another bag from White Castle. He pulled out a hamburger and took a bite. 

Dean scoffed. “Are you serious?”

Cas smiled like a kid on Christmas. “These make me...very happy.”

“How many of those have you had?” Amy asked.

Cas shrugged. “I lost count. It's in the low hundreds.” He took another bite. “What I don't understand is...where is your guys’ hunger?”

“Huh?” Dean asked.

“Well, slowly but surely, everyone in this town is falling prey to Famine, but so far, you two seem unaffected.”

“Hey, when I want to drink, I drink,” Dean said. “When I want sex, I go get it. Same goes for a sandwich or a fight.”

“I actually think it has gotten to me,” Amy admitted. “Earlier today, when I was with Sam, I-”

Cas cut Amy off, pointing out the window. “Look there.”

Another man came out of the medical center carrying a briefcase. He got into a car across the street from the Impala and drove off.

Dean put the Impala into gear and followed the other car.

“Aright, so, what's the plan?” Amy asked.

“Cas’ll go in, cut off Famine’s ring, and meet us back here, ” Dean said decidedly.

“Are you sure that's a good idea?” Amy asked. “Cas is affected by Famine right now. What if he goes in there and something goes wrong?”

“As long as he does it quickly, we shouldn't have any problems.”

They followed the demon to Biggerson’s restaurant. Dean parked the Impala across the street.

Inside the restaurant, Amy could see a handful of demons surrounding a very old man in a wheelchair. 

“Demons.” Dean turned to Cas. “You want to go over the plan again?”

Casa didn't reply as he smiled down at his burger.

“Hey, happy meal. The plan?” Dean repeated.

Casa put down the burger. “I take the knife, I go in, I cut off the ring hand of Famine, and I meet you back here in the parking lot.”

“Well, that sounds foolproof.” Dean looked over to see that Cas was gone. 

Amy and Dean sat in the car, impatiently waiting for Castiel to return.

Less than ten seconds after Cas had vanished, Dean opened his door. “This is taking too long.”

Amy quickly opened her door as well and followed Dean into the restaurant.

They entered through the kitchen door.

“Cas!” Dean called out quietly. “Cas.”

They turned a corner and spotted Cas on the floor in front of them. His back was to them as he shoveled handfuls of raw ground meat into his mouth.

“Ames!”

Amy quickly spun around to see two demons. Dean punched one of them and Amy quickly ducked as the other swung at her.

The demon Amy dodged grabbed Dean by the collar of his shirt. He threw the hunter into the doors, before walking over and picking Dean up, pinning his arms to his side.

Amy felt her arms get pinned to her side as well as the demon Dean had punched grabbed her. She and Dean we're dragged out of the kitchen and brought face to face with Famine.

Famine looked like an extremely old man with an oxygen tube in his nose. A demon with black shades on stood on either side of his wheelchair.

“The other Mr. Winchester,” Famine drawled. “And miss Jones.”

Dean gestured to Cas. “What did you do to him?”

“You sicced your dog on me. I just threw him a steak.”

“So this is your big trick?” Dean asked as he struggled against the demon holding him. “Huh? Making people cuckoo for cocoa puffs?”

“Doesn't take much--hardly a push.” Famine laughed. “Oh, America. All-you-can-eat, all the time. Consume, consume. A swarm of locusts in stretch pants. And yet, you're all still starving because hunger doesn't just come from the body, it also comes from the soul.”

Dean smirked. “It's funny, it doesn't seem to be coming from mine.”

“Yes. I noticed that,” Famine said quietly. He turned to Amy. “Have you wondered why that is? How you could both even walk in my presence?”

“Well, I like to think it's because of my strength of character,” Dean joked.

“I disagree.” Famine moved closer to Dean, touching him on the chest. “Yes. I see. That's one deep, dark nothing you got there, Dean. Can't fill it, can you? Not with food or drink. Not even with sex.”

“Oh, you're so full of crap.”

Famine ignored Dean and turned to Amy. “You on the other hand,” he said, moving closer to her.

Amy struggled against the demons holding her as Famine touched her on the chest as well.

“Yes,” Famine said slowly. “Just as I thought. You are infected after all.”

“And yet, like Dean, it doesn’t seem to be affecting me,” Amy said. She struggled some more against the demons.

“Yes,” Famine drawled. “Seems you have someone out there protecting you.” He backed his wheelchair up and turned back to Dean. “I can see how broken you are, how defeated. You can't win, and you know it. But you just keep fighting. Just... keep going through the motions. You're not hungry, Dean, because inside, you're already...dead.”

“Let him go.”

Amy looked up and gasped in shock at what she saw. Sam was standing in the doorway, his mouth covered in blood.

Famine turned around. “Sam...”

“Sammy, no!” Dean strained.

Two demons moved to attack Sam, who got in a fighting position.

“Stop!” Famine ordered. “No one lays a finger on this sweet little boy.” The demons stopped and Famine smiled. “Sam, I see you got the snack I sent you.”

“You sent?”

“Don't worry. You're not like everyone else. You'll never die from drinking too much.” Famine let out a laugh. “You're the exception that proves the rule. Just the way...Satan wanted you to be. So...” Famine lifted up his hands, gesturing at the demons surrounding him “...cut their throats. Have at them!”

“Sam, don’t!” Amy begged.

“Sammy, no!”

“Please, be my guest,” Famine urged.

Sam lifted his hand and closed his eyes. Amy and Dean both watched in a mix of shock and horror as all five demons were pulled from their host bodies at once.

The demon smoke pooled on the floor and Sam lowered his hand. “No.”

Famine smirked. “Well...Fine. If you don't want them...then I'll have them.”

Famine jerked up in his seat and opened his mouth wide. He swung his hand towards his mouth and the devoured the demon souls.

Sam stepped forward and extended his hand towards Famine.

Famine laughed. “I'm a Horseman, Sam. Your power doesn't work on me.”

“You're right. But it will work on them.” Sam clenched his fist and ripped the demon souls out of the horseman. His nose began to bleed with the effort.

Famine screamed as the demon souls exploded out of him. Finally, he slumped down in his chair, his eyes empty. 

Cas stood up and slowly turned around to face Sam. Amy and Dean stared in a mix of shock and horror at the younger Winchester for a moment, before Dean quietly stepped forward and pulled the ring off of Famine’s finger.

Dean took another look at Sam, before walking out of the restaurant without a word.

“Dean, wait!” Sam called out after his brother. He hurried after Dean.

Amy reluctantly followed Sam and Dean out to the Impala. She didn’t even notice Cas leave as they climbed into the car and Dean started the engine.

* * *

It was a long, quiet drive to Bobby’s house. Sam stopped trying to get Dean to listen after a while.

When they arrived at Bobby’s, Dean dragged Sam out of the car. He ignored Bobby as he brought Sam downstairs and shoved him into the panic room, slamming the metal door closed on his brother.

Dean took a few heavy breaths, before going back upstairs, coming back down a moment later with a beer.

Sam began pounding on the door. “Let me out of here, please! Help!”

Dean leaned against one of the pillars, letting the distress show as he took a sip of the beer.

Cas appeared next to Dean. “That's not him in there. Not really.”

“I know.”

“Dean, Sam just has to get it out of his system,” Cas continued. “Then he'll be--”

Dean cut Cas off. “Listen, I just, uh...I just need to get some air.” He walked back upstairs, leaving Cas and Amy behind in the basement.

Amy slid down the wall until she was sitting on the ground. She pulled her knees to her chest, trying to ignore Sam’s screams.


	49. Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid

**February 24th, 2010 - Sioux Falls, South Dakota**

Amy climbed out of the Impala with Sam and Dean. They had recently heard about a so-called zombie spotted in Sioux Falls and had gone into town to check it out.

According to one of the locals, Mr. Wells, a man named Clay Thompson had killed another man named Benny Sutton. After some digging, Sam, Dean, and Amy had discovered that Clay had been killed years prior.

Sam was on the phone, trying to get a hold of Bobby, as they stepped out of the Impala. "Bobby, listen, when you get this message, call! Okay?" He hung up the phone for the fifth time that morning.

"Is he still not home?" Dean asked. "How far could he get in that chair?"

"So, what do we do?" Sam asked as they entered the diner.

Dean nodded over to a man sitting by himself at a booth. "Well... Guess we just do it ourselves."

They walked over to the booth, pulling out their FBI badges.

"Mr. Wells?" Sam asked.

The man looked up. "You the agents that I talked to earlier?"

Dean cleared his throat. "Yes. Agents Osbourne, Butler, and Hughes." They sat down across from the man. "Mr. Wells, why don't you tell us what you saw in your own words."

"Call me Digger," Mr. Wells said.

"Digger?" Dean repeated.

Digger grunted in response.

"Who gave you that name?" Dean asked.

"I did."

"You gave yourself your own nickname?" Dean scoffed. "You can't do that."

"Who died and made you queen?"

Dean glared at Digger.

"Alright, girls, you can fight this out later," Amy said. She turned to Digger. "Can you tell us what you saw?"

"I saw Clay Thompson climb into Benny Sutton's trailer through the window," Digger recapped. "Couple minutes later, Clay walked out, and Benny's dead."

Dean held up a photo of Clay Thompson. "And, uh, is this the guy you saw?"

"Well, he was all covered with mud, but, yeah." Digger nodded. "That's Clay."

"And you are aware that Clay Thompson died five years ago?" Sam asked.

"Yep."

"And you're positive that it was this guy?" Dean asked, looking for confirmation.

"You calling me a liar?" Digger accused.

"Of course we're not," Amy said quickly.

"Can you think of any reason why Clay Thompson, alive or dead, would want to kill Benny Sutton?" Sam asked.

Digger scoffed. "Hell, yeah. Well, five years ago, Benny's the one that killed Clay in the first place."

The three hunters exchanged a quick look.

"Is that a fact?" Dean asked.

"Well, yeah, so-called "hunting accident."." Digger let out another scoff. "Now, if you ask me... Clay came back from the grave to get a little payback."

"Go on," Dean urged.

Before Digger could answer, the bell above the diner entrance chimed.

"Owen, put down the cupcake and pick up an apple," a female voice said behind the hunters. Whoever had just entered was talking on the phone to someone. "Okay? Okay. I love you."

Digger sighed. "Heads up," he muttered. "Fargo."

"Digger."

Amy looked up to see a female sheriff with long hair pulled back into a ponytail approach the table. She was wearing a dark brown jacket and kept a hand in her pocket as she talked to them.

"Sheriff," Digger greeted solemnly.

The sheriff turned to the hunters. "I'm Sheriff Jody Mills. I don't believe I've had the pleasure of meeting you three."

Sam and Dean pulled out their badges. Amy quickly did the same, showing Sheriff Mills her badge.

"Agents Dorfman, Neidermeyer, and Jansen," Dean said. "FBI."

"Welcome to Sioux Falls," Sheriff Mills said with a nod. "Can I ask you what you're doing with Digger here?"

"They're doing their job. They believe me, Sheriff."

Sheriff Mills eyed the hunters suspiciously. "The FBI believes a dead man committed a murder?"

Sam chuckled. "Look, we're just asking a few questions, Sheriff. That's all."

"Of course, if a dead man didn't commit the murder, then, uh, who did?" Dean questioned.

Sheriff Mills frowned. "What'd you say your jurisdiction here was again?"

"Our jurisdiction is wherever the United States government sends us," Dean said with a smirk.

Amy sighed at Dean's comment. She looked back up at the sheriff, trying to place why she looked so familiar.

Sheriff Mills smirked. "Oh, yeah. How about me and your supervisor have a little chat about that?"

"Absolutely." Sam handed the sheriff a business card.

Sheriff Mills dialed the number on the phone. After a beat, she started speaking. "Agent Willis, this is Sheriff Jody Mills-" She suddenly stopped short as realization crossed her face. "Bobby?"

Amy slowly looked up at the sheriff as Sam and Dean did the same. All three hunters had the same worried expression on their faces. The sheriff knew Bobby?

"Is this Bobby Singer?"

"Bull crap." The sheriff closed the phone and slipped it into her pocket. "FBI, huh?"

Amy rubbed the back of her neck as the sheriff narrowed her eyes at the hunters.

"So, uh... So you know Bobby Singer?" Dean asked nervously. "That is... a fun coincidence."

"Here's what I know about Bobby Singer," the sheriff said. "He's a menace around here, ass-full of drunk-and-disorderlies and mail fraud. You understanding me?"

Dean nodded. "I think we all can agree that you've made yourself perfectly clear, yes."

"So, whatever the four of you are planning, it ends here. Now. Ten-four on that, Agents?"

"Yeah."

"Loud and clear," Amy said.

The sheriff left, and without another word, the three hunters cleared out of the diner.

"Hey, you were quiet in there," Dean said as they climbed into the Impala. "Everything okay?"

Amy nodded. "Yeah, sorry. I was just trying to figure out where I knew that woman from-" she leaned forward across the bench seat as Dean started down the road, "-and I finally figured it out. I almost forgot she was even in this show."

"Who is that?" Sam asked. He opened the file back up and started reading through it again.

"Okay, The Suite Life of Zack and Cody, that's a TV show here, right?" Amy asked.

Dean nodded. "Yeah."

"Well, it's a show where I'm from as well, and in it, Zack and Cody's mom is played by the same woman who plays Sheriff Mills on this show."

"Wait, really?" Dean asked, sounding almost intrigued.

Amy nodded. "Yeah. I knew I knew her from somewhere."

Dean turned down another street. "I think that show is a little different here. They never showed Zack and Cody's mom in this version."

"Wait, really?" Amy asked. "Okay, first of all, you watched Suite Life? And second, that is so weird that they never showed her on screen."

"Yeah, I watched that show," Dean replied. "What's so surprising about that?"

Amy shrugged. "I dunno. Just that it came out only five years ago when you were twenty-six."

Dean shrugged. "What can I say? It was a good show."

Amy leaned back in her seat. "Can't argue with you there."

* * *

Dean pulled up to Bobby's house, and they headed inside.

"Who's there?" Bobby shouted from the study.

"It's us, Bobby!" Sam called back. "Sam, Dean, and Amy!"

Amy followed Sam and Dean into the study, where they found Bobby downing a beer.

"You know how many times we called?" Dean snapped. "Where have you been?"

Bobby rolled his eyes. "Playing murderball."

Dean stopped in his tracks. "What's that smell?" He sniffed the air. "Is that soap? Did you clean?"

Amy sniffed as well. It smelled surprisingly in the house.

"What are you, my mother?" Bobby asked defensively. "Bite me!"

Amy narrowed her eyes. "Bobby, you cleaned. Forgive us for being a little skeptical."

"I been working," Bobby said. "You know, trying to find a way to stop the devil."

"Find anything?"

Bobby let out a huff. "What do you think?"

"Bobby, it's just…" Sam glanced over at Dean, "there's a case less than five miles from your house."

"What, the – the Benny Sutton thing?" Bobby asked. He looked over at Amy. "That's what this is about?"

Amy nodded. "Well, yeah." She sat down on top of the desk. "Dead guy comes back to life and kills someone? Why wouldn't we look into it?"

"Wait, you knew about this?" Dean asked angrily.

"Hell, yes. I checked into it already. There's nothing here," Bobby insisted.

"Except a witness who saw a dead guy commit murder," Sam snapped.

"What witness? Digger Wells?"

Dean nodded. "Yeah. So?"

"So, he's a drunk!"

"Well, what about the lightning storms? They look like omens."

"Except in February in South Dakota in storm season." Bobby shook his head. "Guys, I thought it was something, too. Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar."

"Alright, well, if Clay Thompson didn't kill Benny Sutton, who did?" Amy asked.

Bobby shrugged. "Take your pick. This Benny Sutton guy was a grade-a son of a bitch. There's a list of the living a year-long wouldn't mind putting a cap in his ass."

"So, you're telling us... nothing?" Dean asked.

"Sorry. It looks like you wasted a tank of gas on this one."

"Great," Dean muttered.

* * *

They stayed at Bobby's for a few more hours before heading back out. The sky was already beginning to get dark as they climbed into the Impala and drove off.

They drove until Dean pulled up on the side of the road.

"Dean?" Amy asked.

Sam turned to his brother. "What's up?" he asked as Dean turned off the engine.

"Isn't that the graveyard back there?" Dean asked, pointing behind them.

Amy turned in her seat to read the sign they had just passed, which read "St. Anthony's Cemetery."

"Yeah. So what?" Sam asked. "Bobby already checked it out."

"And? What, Bobby's never wrong? Come on. We'll take a peek, and then we'll hit the road." Dean shrugged. "Can't hurt."

Amy sighed as Sam and Dean got out of the car. She followed them out and circled to the trunk.

Dean handed out shovels and flashlights. They walked through the cemetery, moving between the rows of headstones as Dean whistled softly.

"Hey." Sam stopped at a headstone.

Dean shined his flashlight on it, and Amy could the name "Clay Thompson" on it.

"That look fresh to you?" Dean asked, shining the light on the overturned dirt in front of the headstone.

"Yeah," Amy muttered.

Sam stuck his flashlight into his jacket pocket and began digging.

* * *

Sam, Dean, and Amy spent the next hour taking turns digging the grave. Finally, Amy's shovel hit wood.

"Well, that's not good," Amy said as she placed her shovel on the ground out of the grave. The top of the coffin was torn to splinters. She opened it up to find that the inside was empty.

"What is going on here?" Sam asked.

Dean shook his head. "I don't know, but something stinks."

Amy climbed out of the hole. Sam grabbed her arm, pulling her out, and she picked her shovel back up.

"Alright, let's get this place cleaned up," Dean said. "We gotta find out where this Clay guy lives."

"I'm pretty sure I saw it in the case file," Sam recalled. "He's got a wife and two kids."

Dean nodded. "Let's go pay Clay Thompson a visit, then."

The hunters filled the hole back up and headed back to the Impala. Sam gave Dean Clay'saddress, and they headed towards the house.

* * *

The house was dark when they arrived. Amy grabbed her handgun and followed Sam and Dean inside the house.

Sam pushed open the front door, leading them inside. They crept further into the opening, looking around.

Dean suddenly grunted as someone attacked him. He quickly got the upper hand, pushing the attacker to the ground.

"Don't shoot me!" A man in a grey shirt and striped pajama pants said frantically. "Please! There's money in the safe."

"We don't want your money," Dean said as Sam aimed his shotgun at the man's head.

The man looked up. "What do you want? Anything. Please…" he quickly turned his head back away from the barrel of Sam's gun.

Amy kept her flashlight on the man as she circled him, keeping her hand on her gun.

"You're Clay Thompson, right?" Sam asked.

The man looked up, visibly relaxing. "Who are you?"

"Um, FBI," Sam answered.

"FBI?" Clay repeated. "Oh, my God. This is about Benny."

"Wha… what about Benny?" Dean asked.

"He killed me!" Clay shouted. "He shot me in the back! I'm supposed to let him get away with that?"

"And on today's episode of 'weirdest conversations I've ever been a part of'!" Amy said in her best announcer voice.

"Are… are you confessing?" Dean asked.

"Please. I'll go with you. Just… just don't wake my kids."

"Y-you'll go with us where?" Sam asked.

"Jail."

"Let me get this straight. You're Clay Thompson, and you died five years ago?" Dean began.

Clay nodded. "Yes."

"And three days ago, you climbed out of your grave, and you killed Benny Sutton?"

"Yes."

"So you are, in fact, a dead guy."

"I guess. I – I – I don't know what I am," Clay stammered.

"Clay?" A woman asked.

The hunters quickly spun around, shining their flashlights on a woman in a flower-printed robe standing in the hallway just outside the room.

"I called 911," the woman said.

"It's okay, honey," Clay told his wife. "These men are the FBI. They're here about Benny."

"Why don't you come with us, Mr. Thompson?" Dean suggested. "I think that'd be best."

Clay grabbed a jacket and obediently walked out of his house as Sam, Dean, and Amy walked behind him.

As soon as they were outside, Dean pulled out his gun.

"Dean," Sam scolded.

"He's a monster."

"He's a soccer dad," Sam argued.

"His wife is inside the house," Amy reminded him. "You shoot him now, she's going to hear it."

"I'll just be doing her a favor." Dean aimed his gun at the back of Clay's head.

"Freeze!"

Amy was suddenly blinded by a bright light to her right. Sheriff Mills and another officer had arrived.

The sheriff had her gun pointed at the hunters. "Drop your guns!" she ordered.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. All right. Hey." Dean chuckled and put his gun on the ground. "Remember the guy you said that was dead and couldn't possibly commit murder?" He pointed at Clay. "There he is."

The sheriff put her gun away. "And?"

"And?" Dean echoed. "And you're welcome – for catching the undead killer zombie."

The sheriff pulled out a pair of handcuffs. "Whatever he is or isn't, that doesn't give you the right to shoot him in the middle of the street." She handcuffed Dean's hands behind his back.

"Shoot me?" Clay repeated.

"You're free to go, Mr. Thompson."

"Free to go?!" Dean repeated in shock as the police officer approached Sam and Amy.

"I can't believe you were gonna kill me," Clay said in horror.

"You're a zombie!" Dean yelled.

"I'm a taxpayer!" Clay argued back.

Sam and Amy were handcuffed as well and led to the back of the cop car with Dean. They got into the back with Amy in the middle and Sam and Dean on either side of her.

* * *

As soon as they got to the jail, Sheriff Mills led them to an empty cell. She held the door open as the hunters walked inside before closing and locking it behind them.

Amy sighed. "Okay, what the hell is going on here?" She leaned against the wall directly opposite the cell door.

"I dunno." Dean sat on the floor, leaning up against the wall next to the cell door. "So, what? Sheriff's on the take?"

Sam paced back and forth. He let out a sharp exhale. "Yeah. No. The zombies are paying her off?"

A cop walked through the double doors outside the cell, and Amy spotted Bobby talking to the sheriff in the next room. Sheriff Mills was sitting on her desk with her arms crossed, frowning as Bobby spoke.

"No fucking way," she muttered, pointing to what she was seeing.

Sam looked through the bars as well as Dean leaned forward to get a good look.

"So, what? Now they're friends?" Dean asked.

"I thought the sheriff hated Bobby," Sam said.

"Yeah, me too," Amy said, stepping closer to get a better look.

Bobby and the sheriff turned to the three hunters with disapproving looks.

The sheriff stood up from her desk and walked over to the cell. She unlocked the door and held it open for them. "You three are free to go," she told them. "But next time, I won't be so lenient. Do I make myself clear?"

Dean nodded. "Crystal."

Sam took ahold of the handles on Bobby's wheelchair and began pushing him down the hallway. "Bobby, I thought the sheriff hated you."

"She did till five days ago," Bobby admitted.

"What happened five days ago?" Dean asked.

"The dead started rising all over town."

"What?" Amy asked, shocked at what she had just heard.

"So you knew about this?" Sam asked.

"Yep."

"I think what Sam meant to say is, you lied to us?" Dean clarified.

Bobby grabbed the wheels of his wheelchair and spun himself around to face them. "Look, I told you there was nothing here. And there isn't. Not for you."

Dean cleared his throat, lowering his voice as an officer walked by. "There are zombies here."

"There are zombies... And then there are zombies. Come with me." Bobby turned back around and headed out of the building.

Amy exchanged a glance with Sam and Dean before following Bobby outside.

Bobby got into his truck while Sam, Dean, and Amy got back into the Impala. Bobby drove off, and Dean started the engine before following the old hunter down the street.

* * *

"I can't believe Bobby knew this whole time," Amy said as they drove down the dark road.

"More importantly, why the hell would he keep something like this from us?" Dean asked.

"What I wanna know is why the hell is this town so calm about their dead loved ones coming back?" Amy asked. "I mean, Clay's wife seemed to have taken him back like it was nothing, even after he had been dead for five years."

"Yeah, I agree, it does seem a bit odd," Sam said.

* * *

**February 25th, 2010 - Sioux Falls, South Dakota**

They arrived at Bobby's house. Dean parked next to Bobby's truck and turned off the engine.

Bobby lowered himself out of his truck and into his chair. He led them into the house without a word, tossing his hat onto the table by the stairs.

"You want to tell us what the hell…" Dean stopped as a woman wearing an apron walking into the dining room, carrying a plate.

"Oh, hey. I didn't realize you were bringing company," the woman said, glancing between the hunters.

Amy studied the woman. She had short, wavy, blonde hair that stopped just above her shoulders. She also had on a yellow shirt with a triangle pattern on it and a white-collar.

"It's four a.m., babe. You didn't need to cook," Bobby said softly as he wheeled himself further into the room.

"Oh, please! I'll get some more plates." The woman left, hurrying into the kitchen.

"Bobby?" Amy asked slowly.

"Who was that?" Dean asked.

"Karen. My wife," Bobby said without missing a beat.

"Your new wife?" Dean asked.

Bobby sighed. "My dead wife."

"Your what?" Sam asked, changing his stance.

The woman came back into the room with three more plates. She placed them in front of the seats around the table and smiled. "Who's hungry?"

The sun began to rise as everyone slowly sat down around the table. Mrs. Singer brought out an apple pie and set it down in the middle of the table. Amy saw Dean lick his lips as Mrs. Singer brought out a pie cutter and cut everyone a slice.

Dean instantly took a bite of his pie. This is incredible, Mrs. Singer," he said with his mouth full.

Mrs. Singer smiled as she picked up the pie and behind Sam. "Thank you, Dean."

Sam and Amy frowned at Dean.

"Seriously?" Amy mouthed.

"What?" Dean defended. "It is."

Mrs. Singer served Bobby a slice of pie. "It's great, Karen. Thanks. Could you, um, just give us a minute?"

Karen nodded and left the room.

The three hunters simultaneously put down their forks and slid their plates away.

"Are you crazy?" Dean asked. "What the hell?"

"Dean, I can explain," Bobby began.

"Explain what? Lying to us? Or the American girl zombie making cupcakes in your kitchen?!"

"First of all, that's my wife, so watch it," Bobby said with a low growl in his voice.

"Bobby, whatever that thing is in there, it is not your wife," Sam argued.

"Sam's right, Bobby," Amy agreed.

"And how do you know that?" Bobby asked defensively.

"Are you serious?"

"You think I'm an idiot, boy?" Bobby argued. "My dead wife shows up on my doorstep, I'm not gonna test her every way I ever learned?"

"So what is it?" Dean asked. "Zombies? Revenant?"

Bobby shrugged. "Hell, if I can tell. She's got no scars, no wounds, no reaction to salt, silver, holy water…"

"Bobby, she crawled out of her coffin," Dean snapped.

Bobby shook his head. "No, she didn't. I cremated her. Somehow, some way, she's back."

"That's impossible," Sam said.

Bobby sighed. "Tell me about it."

"You bury her ashes?" Sam asked.

"Yeah."

"Where?"

"In the cemetery."

"St. Anthony's?" Amy asked.

Bobby nodded. "That's where they all rose from."

"How many?" Dean asked.

"Fifteen, twenty." Bobby reached into his shirt pocket. "I made a list." He pulled out a folded piece of paper and handed it to Sam. "Uh, there's Karen... Clay... Sheriff Mills – her little boy came back."

Sam and Dean exchanged simultaneous looks with each other.

"So, that's why the sheriff let Clay go," Amy muttered.

"And there were no signs?" Sam asked. "No omens?"

"Well, there were the lightning storms," Bobby recalled.

Dean slammed his hand down on the table. "That's what we said. What else?"

Bobby rolled his chair away from the table and towards a desk nearby. He picked up a book and flipped through the pages until he found what he was looking for. "And through the fire stood before me a pale horse. And he that sat atop him carried a scythe, and I saw since he had risen, they, too, shall rise, and from him and through him," he read aloud.

"So, what, Death is behind this?" Dean asked as Bobby closed the book and put it back on the desk.

"Death, Death?" Sam asked. "Like "Grim Reaper" death?"

Bobby nodded. "Yeah."

"Yeah, I remember something about him being in this season," Amy said. "Can't remember if we meet him now or later, though."

Dean rubbed his eyes. "Awesome," he muttered. "Another horseman. Must be Thursday."

Sam stood up and walked around behind Bobby. "Bobby... why would Death raise fifteen people in a podunk town like Sioux Falls?" He picked up the book Bobby had read from and sat down on the desk.

"I don't know," Bobby admitted.

"You know, if Death is behind this, then whatever these things are... it's not good," Dean said. "You know what we have to do here."

Bobby sighed. "She doesn't remember anything, you know."

"What do you mean?" Dean asked.

"Being possessed, me killing her... her coming back."

"Bobby…" Dean began.

"No, no, don't "Bobby" me," Bobby snapped. He lowered his voice. "Just... just listen, okay?"

From the kitchen, Karen could be heard humming a tune.

"She hums when she cooks," Bobby said softly. "She always... used to hum when she cooked. Tone-deaf as all hell, but... and I never thought I would hear it again."

Amy sighed as Sam and Dean exchanged a glance with each other.

"Look, just read Revelation," Bobby insisted. "The dead rise during the apocalypse. There's nothing in there that says that's bad! Hell, maybe it's the one good thing that comes out of this whole bloody mess."

Dean leaned forward. "And what would you do if you were us?"

"I know what I'd do. And I know what you think you got to do. But... I'm begging you." Bobby began to cry softly. "Please. Please. Leave her be."

Sam and Dean exchanged another glance. "We need to go," Dean announced, standing up. "Now."

Amy reluctantly stood up and followed Sam and Dean out of the house. They got back into the Impala and drove away.

* * *

Dean drove them to a nearby diner. They sat down at the bar and ordered three coffees.

"So, what do you think?" Sam asked as he stirred the creamer into his drink.

"There's nothing to think about," Dean said decidedly. "I'm not gonna leave Bobby at home with the bride of Frankenstein."

Amy picked up her spoon by the end, letting it wobble between her fingers. Finally, she set it down with a clink on the small plate. "This is just...I don't like this at all. Something's gonna go wrong. I just know it."

"Then what do you guys want to do?" Sam asked. "Just walk in there in front of Bobby and blow her skull off?"

"If she decides that Bobby's face is the blue plate special, I'd like to be there," Dean argued.

Sam sighed. "Fine. See what else we can find out."

They paid for the drinks and left the diner.

"Why don't you two go visit the other people on that list?" Dean suggested. "I'll head back over to Bobby's and keep an eye on Karen."

Sam nodded. "Yeah, alright. Come on, Ames."

Amy adjusted her jacket and followed Sam down the sidewalk, away from Dean.

* * *

"Who we going to see first?" Amy asked.

"Sheriff Mill's house is just down this way," Sam said, pointing down the sidewalk. "Figured we'd check on her first."

Amy quickened her pace to keep up with Sam. "Bobby said her son came back."

Sam nodded. "Yeah."

They reached a light blue, two-story house with the numbers '905' next to the door. Sam led Amy across the grass to a window on the right side of the door. They quietly looked through the window to see Jody Mills sitting with her husband and a young boy in a striped shirt. The sheriff was reading a book titled 'Spike' to her son.

Sam stood up, letting out a sigh. "Come on," he told Amy. "We better get out of here."

Amy nodded and followed Sam away from the house. "Who's next?"

Sam looked down at the list. "Ezra Jones," he read. "She's the first one on the list."

"Let's go pay Ezra a visit, then."

* * *

After a long walk, they finally reached Ezra Jones's house. There was an iron fence surrounding the property of a tall, grey-painted house.

Sam gave the list another look to make sure they were at the right place before leading Amy to the front door. He knocked on the door. "Mrs. Jones?!"

"Hey." Sam nudged Amy and pointed down to the ground.

Amy glanced down to see a small pool of blood in front of the door.

Sam tried the doorknob, pushing open the unlocked door.

"Mrs. Jones?" Amy called out as she followed Sam into the house.

There was a small cough from the next room. Sam and Amy turned to see an old, sickly-looking woman lying in a bed.

"Um... Ezra Jones?" Sam asked hesitantly.

The old woman was coughing and foaming at the mouth. She gestured for the two hunters to come closer.

Sam hesitantly stepped forward. "W-what is it?" He chuckled weakly. "You think maybe you could tell me from here? Yeah. I'm gonna regret this."

Amy pulled out her gun, pulling back the trigger as Sam slowly leaned closer to the old woman.

Ezra suddenly attacked Sam, spitting mucus onto him as she threw him onto the floor without warning.

Amy fired a shot into the zombie's head, and it slumped over. Sam pushed the body off of himself and got to his feet.

"Thanks."

Amy nodded. "Don't mention it." She slipped her gun back into her jacket, nodding towards a man on the floor with a bloody stomach nearby that Ezra had landed near. "Guessing that might have been her husband or something."

Sam wiped the mucus off of his face. "Let's get out of here. I'll call Dean, tell him we're heading back to Bobby's."

They left the house and headed back down the sidewalk. Sam pulled out his phone and called Dean. He told him what had just happened and that they needed to talk to Bobby about it as soon as possible.

* * *

It was a long walk back to Bobby's house, but they finally reached it late that evening.

Dean knocked on the door. After a moment, Bobby opened it up. He let out a disapproving sigh and let the hunters inside.

"Keep your damn voices down," Bobby said as they made their way into the study. "Karen's upstairs."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Dean snapped. "We're a little tense right now. Who's old lady Jones?"

"The first one to come up."

"First one to go bad," Sam corrected.

"Ah, she was always a nutty broad," Bobby said dismissively.

"Nutty, how?" Dean countered. "Nutty like the way she ate her husband's stomach? Was that the level of nutty she was in life?"

Bobby's face fell. "No," he said softly.

"Look, Bobby, I feel for you," Dean said. "But you have got to acknowledge that you're not exactly seeing this straight!"

Bobby glared at Dean and began pushing himself towards the desk.

"Bobby, whether you admit it or not, these things are turning," Sam insisted. "We have to stop them – all of them."

"Sam's right, Bobby," Amy began. "Sooner or later-" she stopped when Bobby turned back around and placed a gun on his lap.

"Time to go," Bobby ordered.

"What?" Dean asked.

"You heard me. Off my property."

"Or what?" Sam scoffed. "You'll shoot?"

"If Karen turns, I will handle it my way," Bobby insisted.

"Bobby-" Amy began.

Bobby cocked the gun, never taking his eyes off the three hunters. "I'm not telling you twice."

After a long pause, Sam, Dean, and Amy finally left the house. They got back into the Impala and drove out of the Salvage Yard.

Dean stopped the car just outside the property. "He's crazy."

"It's his wife, Dean," Sam argued.

"And a zombie," Amy countered. "She's gonna go bad. They all are."

"We're his family, Sam," Dean said.

"Look, guys, bigger fish, okay?" Sam asked. "I mean, we got a bunch of zombies about to turn this town into a giant chew toy."

"Yeah, and he's alone in the house making pie with one of 'em!" Dean shouted.

"All right? So?"

"So!" There was a brief pause before Dean continued. "I'm gonna have to go back there and… and… and kill her. That's the only thing I can think of."

"If he sees you, you're a dead man," Sam reminded Dean.

Dean shrugged. "Well, then, I guess I won't let him see me."

"Okay," Sam finally said. "Amy and I'll... head to town and rescue everyone – should be easy."

"Sounds like."

"There's no way even just the two of us will be able to take on all of these zombies." Amy leaned forward across the seat.

Sam sighed. "We're gonna need some help."

"What about the sheriff?" Dean suggested.

"Uh, last time I checked, the sheriff was pretty pro-zombie," Sam reminded his brother.

Dean shrugged. "Well, I guess you'll just have to convince her."

Sam scoffed. "How?"

Dean paused briefly, trying to think of something. "I don't know. You're just gonna."

"Yeah, that sounds easy enough," Amy muttered sarcastically.

Sam sighed. "Alright." He held out his hand. "Give me the keys."

Dean handed Sam the keys and got out of the car. Sam slid over to the driver's side, and Amy climbed over the bench seat into the passenger seat.

Sam started the engine and drove off towards Jody Mills's house.

* * *

There was a light on in the living room and kitchen when they arrived. They could see Jody's husband in the living room with their son while Jody stood in the kitchen.

Before they could react, the sheriff's son lunged forward, attacking her husband. Amy didn't need any pushing. She jumped out of the car with Sam and ran towards the house.

Sam kicked the door open and ran straight to the living room. Jody Mills was frozen in shock at the sight before her. A bloody trail led behind the couch, where Jody's husband lay dead with a torn-up stomach. Her son was slowly inching towards her, blood covering his mouth and running down his shirt.

Sam grabbed the sheriff's shoulder, startling the woman. "Let's go!"

Jody began to protest as Sam pulled her out of the house. "No!"

"We gotta get out of here!" Amy insisted as she ran after Sam and Jody.

"My husband!" Jody cried as they ran outside.

"Leave it! He's dead!"

Jody turned to face Sam. "That was not my son!"

Amy took out her gun as she spoke, making sure the chamber was loaded. "No, it was a zombie." She turned back to Jody. "And there are a lot more in this town that we need to take care of."

"Listen, Sheriff," Sam said. "Your town is in danger. People are in danger, and we need to help them now. Can you do that for me?"

Sheriff Mills shook her head, whimpering softly.

"Can you focus for me, Sheriff?" Sam repeated. "Sheriff?"

The sheriff took a deep breath. "How do we put them down?"

"Headshot."

Jody nodded. "We're gonna need weapons," she said, her voice breaking.

"We can start by rounding up everybody we can find," Sam said. "Where is there a safe place we can take people?"

Jody sniffled. "Jail."

Amy sighed. "Yeah, that'll work."

Sam nodded. "Right. Just, um…" he pulled out his gun, "give me a minute."

Jody grabbed Sam's arm as he turned to the house. Nobody said anything. She looked down at the ground sadly before flickering her gaze back up to Sam, as if silently pleading him not to do what he was about to do.

Finally, Jody released Sam's arm, and he walked back inside the house.

"I'm sorry, sheriff," Amy said quietly.

A loud gunshot rang out through the quiet neighborhood.

* * *

With Jody's help, they were able to round up nearly everyone in town within an hour. Jody rode with Sam and Amy in the Impala to the station.

Pretty soon, a large group of people had gathered in the police station. Sheriff Mills opened up the gun cabinet and began handing Sam and Amy rifles and shotguns.

Amy and Sam took opposite sides of the room, passing out guns until everyone had one.

"All right," Sam said as he handed a man a gun, "if I hand you a gun and you see a dead person, I don't care if it's your friend, your neighbor, or your wife, you shoot for the head. That's the only way we survive. "

"Uh, you mind telling us who the hell you are?" A man in a jean jacket asked.

Sam smiled. "Friend of Bobby Singer's."

"Town drunk."

"No, I – I thought…" Sam nodded at Digger, "he was the town drunk."

"Who told you that?" the man asked.

"Bobby Singer," Sam admitted. "Stay sharp. I'll watch the front door." He left the room as Amy handed over the last gun.

* * *

It was quiet in the station for what seemed like a long time. People paced around nervously as the minutes ticked by.

"How'd you get tied up with Bobby and those two?"

Amy glanced up to see Jody standing next to her. "It's a long story, but they kind of saved my life a few years ago."

Jody nodded. "Tell me later, then."

A gunshot rang out from down the hallway, then three more. Fast footsteps could be heard getting closer, and a moment later, Sam ran into the room. "Get ready!" he shouted.

The townspeople readied their guns. A swarm of zombies was close behind Sam. Amy counted maybe twenty as she aimed her gun at one of their heads.

Several loud shots echoed through the room as the townspeople fired their guns until finally, the last zombie dropped to the ground.

Amy panted heavily as she checked the chamber of her gun. She had five bullets left.

"Everyone okay?" Sam asked.

Murmurs of "yes" and "uh-huh" could be heard throughout the room.

"Sam," Amy began. Sam turned to her. "Dean."

"Crap," Sam whispered. He turned to Jody. "We gotta go. Now!"

"We gotta get everyone out of the station first," Jody insisted.

"Then let's hurry up and do that," Amy said. "But Dean is with Bobby and probably more of these things, so we gotta go now."

Jody nodded. She turned back to the townspeople. "Alright, everyone clear out!"

"What about those things?" a woman asked.

"Keep the guns," Jody said with a hint of hesitation in her voice.

"You see another one of those things on the street, shoot it," Sam added.

The hunters and Jody left the station and hurried to the Impala. They climbed in, and Sam started the engine, speeding down to Bobby's house.

* * *

The junkyard was eerily empty when they arrived. Sam, Amy, and Jody wasted no time running inside the house.

As soon as they entered, Amy heard something coming from down the hall. She quickly ran with the others around the corner to see Dean and Bobby trapped in the closet at the end of the hallway. The door was open, and Dean was hitting zombies with the butt of his shotgun.

"Get down!" Sam ordered.

Dean and Bobby ducked out of the way. Sam, Amy, and Jody shot all the zombies until the final one fell to the ground.

"Are you okay?" Sam asked as Dean and Bobby slowly poked their heads around the corner.

Neither Dean nor Bobby answered.

"I gotta go check on the townspeople," Jody said. "And get those guns back. I should never have let the entire town leave the station with them."

"I'll go with you," Dean offered, stepping over the pile of bodies. "We should check to see if there are any more zombies while we're at it."

Jody nodded in agreement.

"Alright," Sam said, "we'll get the bodies ready to burn. Meet us at the cemetery as soon as you're done."

"Alright." Dean turned to Jody. "Let's go."

Sam moved a few of the bodies out of the way to let Bobby through. Amy hurried upstairs, coming back down with several sheets for the bodies. She dropped them on the floor and began helping Sam wrap them up.

"Sam?" Bobby asked quietly. "Amy? Leave Karen to me. Please? I'll burn her body, I just...I wanna do it here."

Sam and Amy exchanged a glance. "Sure thing, Bobby," Sam agreed.

* * *

**February 26th, 2010**

The sun was rising when they wrapped the last body in a sheet. Amy helped Sam load the bodies and several logs into the back of Bobby's truck. When everything was ready, they got in and drove towards the cemetery.

When they arrived, Amy and Sam built up a pyre. They placed the bodies on top, and Sam doused them with lighter fluid. He lit a match, tossing it in the middle.

Flames instantly grew over the corpses. Sam and Amy stood back, watching as the bodies burned.

The sound of the Impala could be heard approaching from behind. Two doors slammed closed, and Dean and Jody approached.

"Well, if there are any zombies left out there, we can't find them," Dean informed them.

"How are the townspeople?" Sam asked.

"Pretty freaked out," Jody said. "Hell, traumatized. A few of them are calling the papers." She shrugged. "As far as I can tell, nobody's believed 'em yet."

"I don't think anyone would," Amy muttered.

"How are you holding up?" Sam asked Jody.

Jody opened her mouth to answer, but all that came out was a shaky breath.

"Is that everyone?" Dean asked, nodding towards the pyre.

Sam sighed. "All but one."

"Bobby wanted to burn Karen's body at his place," Amy explained.

Dean nodded. "We should go check up on him."

"Yeah." Sam turned to Jody. "Want us to drive you home first?"

"I don't think I can go home for a while," Jody admitted. "I've got a friend that lives not too far from here. Thought maybe I'd stay with her for a bit."

Sam nodded. "Okay then."

Jody gave the hunters a small smile before turning and walking away.

"Meet you guys at Bobby's?" Dean asked.

"See you there," Amy agreed. She followed Sam to the truck and got in next to him.

* * *

Dean led the way back to Bobby's salvage yard. Sam parked the truck right next to the Impala, and they got out.

Bobby had his back to the hunters as they approached. In front of him was a burning pyre with a single body lying on top.

"So, thinking maybe I should apologize for losing my head back there," Bobby said as Sam and Dean stood on either side of him, while Amy stood behind the wheelchair.

Sam took a deep breath. "Bobby, you don't owe us anything."

"Sam's right, Bobby," Amy agreed. "Especially not after what you just went through."

"Hey, look, I don't know squat from Shinola about love, but... at least you got to spend five days with her, right?" Dean offered helpfully.

Amy kicked the back of Dean's shoe as Bobby took a deep breath.

"Right." Bobby nodded. "Which makes things about a thousand times worse. She was the love of my life. How many times do I got to kill her?"

"Are you gonna be okay, Bobby?" Sam asked.

"You three should know," Bobby began. "Karen told me why Death was here."

"What do you mean?"

"I know why he took a stroll through a cemetery in the sticks of South Dakota," Bobby admitted. He took another deep breath. "He came for me."

"For you?" Amy repeated, her voice shaking slightly.

"What do you mean, you?" Dean asked.

"Death came for me," Bobby repeated a bit louder. "He brought Karen back to send me a message."

"You? Why you?" Dean asked.

"Because I've been helping you, you sons of bitches," Bobby snapped. "I'm one of the reasons you're still saying no to Lucifer, Sam."

"So this was like a hit on your life?"

"I don't know if they wanted to take my life or…" Bobby paused for a moment, "my spirit. Either way, they wanted me out of the way."

"But you're gonna be all right," Sam insisted. "Right, Bobby?"

Bobby didn't reply. He stared straight on into the burning flames, not saying another word.


	50. Dark Side of the Moon

**February 28th, 2010 - Greenville, Ohio**

A couple of nights after the zombie incident, Dean pulled the Impala into the Econo King Motel parking lot. It was already dark, so they checked in and headed up to their room.

"I don't know about you guys, but I'm beat," Dean said as he tossed his duffle onto the bed closest to the door.

This room had two beds, like always, and a couch, which Sam tossed his bag onto, leaving the second bed for Amy.

Dean pulled three beer cans out of the cooler, passing them out. Amy cracked hers open, taking a sip.

* * *

Later that night, Dean flopped down onto his stomach on his bed while Sam lay on the couch.

Amy headed into the bathroom to take a quick shower. After a long while, she finally got out and changed into something more comfortable. She ran a brush through her hair and began brushing her teeth.

Amy swore she could hear voices coming from the main part of the motel. She wondered if Sam and Dean were still awake and talking about something. Still brushing her teeth, she stepped out of the bathroom and froze.

In their motel room were two men wearing ski masks. They each had a gun trained on Sam and Dean, who had their hands up. Amy let out a soft gasp, alerting the intruders to her presence.

One of the men quickly grabbed Amy by the arm, dragging her over to the couch with Sam. He forced her down next to Sam, keeping the shotgun on the two of them now.

"Ames!" Dean cried out.

The man aiming his gun at Dean pulled the trigger back. "I thought I told you to shut up," he said. "Keep your hands where I can see them."

Dean sat up. "Wait a minute. Is that you, Roy?" he asked, recognizing the voice of one of the intruders. "It is, isn't it. Which makes you Walt." He turned to the other man and smiled. "Hiya Walt."

Roy and Walt looked at each other.

The man Dean had called Walt removed his mask. "Don't matter."

Roy lifted the mask off his face as well, and Amy was able to get a better look at them. Both men had matching scowls on their faces.

"Well, is it just me, or do you two seem a tad upset?" Dean asked.

"You think you can flip the switch on the Apocalypse and just walk away, Sam?" Walt asked.

Sam frowned. "Who told you that?"

"We ain't the only hunters after you." Walt pumped his shotgun. "See you in the next life."

Amy began to panic. She had to do something. Could she do something?

"Hear me out," Sam pleaded. "I can explain, okay? Please."

Before Amy had time to react, Walt shot Sam in the chest. She screamed as blood splattered the wall behind the couch, getting a little on her face as well.

"Sam!" Amy cried out.

Dean quickly jumped up to move towards Sam. Roy quickly shifted to follow him.

"Stay the hell down."

"Shoot 'im," Walt ordered. He aimed the shotgun at Amy. "I'll get her."

Amy's breath was shaky as she watched the conversation unfold.

"Killin' Sam was right, but Dean…" Roy nodded towards Amy. "And she's just a kid."

"They've made us, and we just snuffed his brother, you idiot," Walt argued. "You want to spend the rest of your life knowing Dean Winchester's on your ass, 'cause I don't. Shoot 'im."

Dean turned his gaze away from Sam and glared at Roy. "Go ahead, Roy, do it," he challenged. "But I'm gonna warn you when I come back, I'm going to be pissed. C'mon! Let's get this show on the road."

Not knowing what else to do, Amy focused her powers on Roy's trigger finger. She could see him try and pull the trigger, but it didn't move.

"What are you waiting for?" Walt snapped. "Shoot him already!"

"I-I can't!" Roy insisted. "It won't shoot!"

"The hell do you mean it won't shoot?" Walt asked.

Amy saw Dean lean over slightly and looked at her. She slowly nodded, knowing exactly what he was wondering.

"I mean, it won't shoot!" Roy snapped. "The trigger's stuck or something."

Walt groaned in frustration. "Guess I gotta do this myself." He aimed the shotgun back at Amy.

In a panic, Amy quickly shifted her focus over to Walt's shotgun. As soon as she did, Roy's gun went off, firing into Dean's chest.

Amy began to panic even more now. She had to get out of here. Keeping Walt from pulling the trigger on his own gun, she began calling out. "Cas? Gabe? Anyone? Help!"

"What the hell?" Walt muttered as he tried to fire his gun. "The hell's wrong with this thing?"

"Help!" Amy tried again, a bit louder. No response.

"Shoot her!" Walt shouted.

Amy glanced over at Dean, letting out a quiet, shaky breath. She turned to Sam next. Her gaze fell on his body just as a loud shot rang out, and her chest felt like it was being torn open.

* * *

Amy slowly opened her eyes. She was sitting in a small wooden room, which she recognized instantly. It was the treehouse she had built with her best friend's dad's help when they were in middle school. Why was she in here? Had meeting Sam and Dean...had everything been a dream? Was she dreaming right now?

"Em!" a voice called from the ground. "You up there?"

Amy leaned out of the treehouse doorway to see a blond boy standing underneath it. He looked to be around thirteen years old. She recognized him instantly; he was the friend she had built the treehouse with.

"Hey, Erik!" Amy greeted. She frowned slightly at the fact that she remembered his name so quickly. Why did all of this feel wrong?

"Come down here real quick," Erik said, gesturing towards himself. "I gotta show you something."

"Coming!" Amy stood up. Without thinking, she jumped out of the treehouse, planning on using her powers to slow herself down and not break an ankle. Wait, did she still have her powers? Was that a dream too? She was already falling to the ground, so there was no going back.

Thinking quickly, Amy held her hands palm down and focused. She began to slow down until both of her feet landed softly on the ground. She let out a sigh of relief, glad that she still had her powers.

Erik didn't seem to have any reaction to what had just happened. "Check out what I got!" He pulled something out of his pocket, and Amy could see two movie tickets in his hand.

Amy remembered this day. It was her thirteenth birthday and, as a gift, Erik had gotten them tickets to see the first Captain America movie, which had come out a few days earlier.

"You got the tickets?" Amy asked excitedly.

"Hell yeah, I did," Erik said with a grin. "It's playing tonight around seven."

Amy grinned. "I can't wait to see this movie!" She pulled Erik into a hug.

"Aww, that's cute," a familiar voice said.

Amy pulled away from the hug and turned around to see Dean leaning against the tree she had jumped from.

"Dean?" Amy asked. "What are you doing here?"

Erik didn't seem to have any reaction to Dean's appearance. "My parents are dropping us off. They told me to tell you we'll be at your place around six-thirty.

Amy didn't reply to the teen. She turned back to Dean. "I'm not dreaming, am I?

Dean shook his head. "Turns out we're dead."

"Dead?" Amy repeated a little in shock. Everything slowly began coming back to her. Roy and Walt, getting shot last after Sam and Dean already had been. "Crap, I remember now."

"Cas explained everything to me," Dean said. "Used the radio in the Impala to talk to me."

"What did he tell you?" Amy asked. She leaned against the tree.

"Just to follow the road and find you and Sam."

Amy frowned. "What road?"

Dean pointed behind the tree. "That one."

Amy leaned over and looked where Dean was pointing. Behind her was an asphalt road and the Impala. "How did I not notice that?"

"You were a little busy talking with this kid here." Dean looked up at the treehouse. "Speaking of which, where are we?"

"A treehouse I built in middle school with my friend here," Amy explained. "Today was my thirteenth birthday, and the two of us went to the movies together."

Dean frowned, looking back and forth between Erik and Amy. "He's a boy," he finally stated.

Amy nodded, her face blank. "Yes. Problem?"

"He's a boy," Dean repeated, emphasizing every word.

Amy rolled her eyes. "I swear, you sound like Hades from the Disney Hercules movie. Yes, Erik is a boy and one of my closest friends. You know what else he is? Gay. And you know what I am? Aromantic and asexual. Okay?" She let out a laugh. "Would you just relax, Dean? I swear you can be so overprotective sometimes."

Dean sighed. "Whatever. Let's just go find Sam."

Amy followed Dean to the Impala and climbed into the passenger seat.

* * *

Dean drove the Impala down the road until they saw a two-story house. There were no landmarks or other buildings around it, just a house on the side of the road.

"Think we'll find Sam in there?" Amy asked.

Dean looked around. "There's nothing else for miles," he said. "He's gotta be here."

Amy followed Dean into the house. Sam was sitting in a dining room with a different family. He was wearing a suit and tie, and a brunette-haired girl was sitting next to him.

The girl smiled at Sam, and Amy could see that she had braces. Sam jumped back nervously as the girl grabbed his thigh.

Dean and Amy decided to step forward. Sam looked up as they entered the room.

Dean shook his head. "Wow. Just wow."

"Dean? Amy? What are you doing in my dream?"

Amy and Dean exchanged an amused glance in response.

Sam stood up and followed Amy and Dean to the living room. The family at the table continued the conversation as if Sam was still there.

"What are you two doing in my dream?" Sam repeated.

"This isn't a dream," Amy began.

"It's heaven," Dean finished.

"So, what does your father do for a living?" The man in the dining room asked. He paused, looking at Sam's vacant chair as if waiting for a response. "Hm. You don't say."

"Heaven," Sam repeated.

Dean nodded. "Yup."

"Okay, how are we in heaven?" Sam asked.

Dean shrugged. "All that clean living, I guess."

Sam shook his head. "No, no," he said. "Okay. You and Amy… I get, sure. But me? Maybe you haven't noticed, but I've done a few things?"

"You thought you were doing the right thing," Dean said helpfully.

Amy nodded in agreement. "Yeah."

Sam scoffed. "Last I checked, it wasn't the road to heaven that was paved with good intentions."

"Yeah, well, if this is the Skymall, it sucks." Dean looked around the house. "I mean, where's the triplets and the latex, you know? C'mon, a guy has needs."

Amy rolled her eyes.

Sam looked back at the family, who was still eating dinner as if he was there. "You know, when you bite the dust, they say your life flashes before your eyes."

"Yeah," Amy said.

"Your point?" Dean asked.

"This house, it's one of my memories," Sam explained.

"When I woke up, I woke up in one of my memories," Dean recalled. "The Fourth of July we burned down that field?"

"I woke up in a treehouse that I built with my best friend when we were kids," Amy added. "We used to have sleepovers in that thing during the summer."

"Maybe that's what heaven is: a place where you relive your greatest hits," Sam said.

Dean paused. "Wait, so… playing footsie with brace-face in there? Then that's a trophy moment for you?"

Sam sighed. "Dean, I was eleven years old. This was my first real Thanksgiving."

"What are you talking about?" Dean asked. "We had Thanksgiving every year."

"We had a bucket of extra-crispy, and Dad passed out on the couch," Sam corrected.

Amy opened her mouth to say something but was interrupted by a rumbling noise from outside. She frantically looked around.

"I don't remember this," Sam said, having to shout over the noise.

The lights in the house went out. The family continued to eat as the house began to shake.

"Hey." Dean looked over at the family before continuing. "We should, uh…"

Sam didn't need Dean to finish his thought. "Definitely."

The hunters ran to the far corner of the room. Sam stood beside the window, just out of sight, while Dean and Amy ducked behind the couch.

The glass in a picture on the fireplace mantle broke, but the family continued eating. A searchlight entered the window, streaming across the room. Dean ducked lower as more furniture fell over and more glass broke.

As quickly as it had come, the searchlight disappeared. The lights in the house came back on, and the hunters left their hiding spots. In the background, the family was still eating and talking, as if nothing had happened.

Across the room, Dean spotted a radio. He ran over to it, and Sam and Amy followed.

"Okay, what the hell was that?" Sam asked.

"I don't know," Dean said, "but we are taking the escalator back downstairs. He hit the radio with the palm of his hand. "Cas!"

"What are you doing?" Sam asked.

"Trying to talk to Cas," Amy said as if it was the most obvious thing.

"What she said," Dean confirmed.

Sam scoffed. "Well, it looks like you've lost your mind."

Dean gave Sam an exasperated look. "Cas talked to me before using this phone-home radio thing, so I—" he hit the radio again. "Cas!"

The TV behind them began to flicker, and Cas's voice came through the screen. "I can hear you."

The hunters moved over to the TV, and Amy could see a static-filled picture of Cas on it. The image was rolling, and Cas's voice was fading in and out.

"Cas," Dean greeted. "Hey! So I, uh, I found Sam and Amy but, but something just happened. There was this weird beam of light."

"Don't go into the light," Cas said bluntly. His voice sounded slightly distorted.

Dean rolled his eyes. "Okay. Thanks, Carol Ann. What was it?"

"Not what, whom," Cas corrected. "Zachariah. He's searching for you."

"And if he finds us?" Sam asked.

"You can't say yes to Michael and Lucifer if you're dead, so Zachariah needs to return you to your bodies," Cas explained.

"Well, that just means we'd be alive again," Amy said. "I don't see how that's a bad thing."

"No," Cas said quickly. "You don't understand. You, hm. You're behind the Wall. This is a rare opportunity."

"For what?" Dean asked.

"You need to find an angel," Cas explained. "His name is Joshua."

"Hey, man, no offense, but we are kind of ass full of angels, okay?" Dean snapped. "You find him."

"I can't," Cas admitted. "I can't return to heaven."

"So what's so important about Joshua?" Sam asked.

"The rumor is, he talks to God."

"And?" Dean asked. "So?"

"You think maybe—just maybe—we should find out what the hell God has been saying?" Cas asked.

Amy couldn't help but snicker at the angel's sassy remark.

Dean looked taken aback. "Jeez. Touchy."

"Please. I just need you to follow the road."

Sam frowned. "What road?"

"It's called the Axis Mundi," Cas explained. "It's a path that runs through heaven. Different people see it as different things. For you, it's two-lane asphalt. The road will lead you to the Garden. You'll find Joshua there. And Joshua… can take us to God."

"The Garden," Cas continued as the picture started to break up. "Quick. Hurry." With that, the TV died.

Sam took a deep breath. "So... What do you think?"

"I think we hit the yellow bricks, find this Joshua cat," Dean said.

"What?" Amy asked, a little surprised by his response.

Sam also looked surprised. "Really?"

"What? You guys don't?" Dean asked.

"I'm just surprised you actually wanna try and find this guy," Amy said.

Sam nodded. "Yeah. I mean, last time I checked, you wanted to break God's nose, now you think he can help?"

"He's the only one who can," Dean admitted. "I mean, come on, Sam. We are royally boned. So prayer? The last hope of a desperate man."

"Well, at least we got the Impala here," Amy said. "Hopefully, we can find this angel quickly and get out of here."

"Come on." Dean started walking towards the front door. "Road's this way."

Dean opened the front door, and they stepped out, only to stop short on the porch. Now, instead of a road, there was nothing but a forest. The Impala was nowhere in sight, and lines of tall trees seemed to stretch on for miles.

"Wasn't there a street out here?" Sam asked.

"There was." Dean turned and walked back into the house. He stepped into the hallway and began looking around.

"Dean. What are you doing?" Sam asked.

"Looking for a road," Dean said.

"Last time I checked, roads were typically outside," Amy said as Dean opened a closet under the stairs.

"You think the road is in a closet?" Sam asked, raising an eyebrow.

Dean turned on the closet light. "We're in heaven, okay? I mean, our memories are coming true. Cas is on TV. Finding a road in a closet would be pretty much the most-" he paused, spotting something on the floor, "-normal thing to happen to us today."

Amy watched as Dean picked a blue hot wheels car off of the floor.

"What?" Sam asked.

Dean held up the car, examining it. "I used to have one of these… when I was a kid." He set the car onto a track and put it in motion.

As soon as the toy car started moving, the scenery changed. Dean's leather jacket disappeared, and his outfit changed to a t-shirt with a flannel button-up and sneakers with one shoelace untied.

Sam's outfit changed back into his everyday hunter attire. Amy noticed that her outfit did as well, switching back into the style she wore when she was alive.

"That was the road?" Sam asked.

Dean shrugged. "I guess."

They stood up to see that they were now in a young boys room with toys scattered on the floor and light blue painted walls.

"Kind of trippy, right?" Dean asked.

Amy finally got a chance to look at Dean's shirt and couldn't help but laugh out loud at what she saw. It was a light blue shirt with a teddy-bear that had 'I wuv hugs' written on the stomach.

"Yeah." Sam looked down at Dean's shirt as well and shifted uncomfortably on the spot. "More trippy. Um. Apparently, you wuv hugs."

Dean quickly covered up the t-shirt. "Shut up."

Sam chucked and began looking around.

"Wait a minute," Dean said, realizing something. "I know where we are."

"Where?"

Dean scoffed. "We're home."

"Wait, you mean, like-"

Amy was cut off by a woman's soft voice speaking from the doorway. "Dean…"

The three hunters turned to the doorway. A young woman appeared in a tight, white dress. She poked her head in as she opened the door.

"Hey, Dean. You hungry?"

"Is that?" Amy asked.

Dean nodded slowly. His mouth was open slightly as he stared at the woman. "That's our mom."

Amy looked back at Mary, who was leaning against the doorframe.

"Well, come on," Mary Winchester said with a smile. She turned out of the room and walked down the hallway.

Still in shock, Dean started following her. After a moment, Sam and Amy followed as well. They walked down a hallway with a wooden floor and down the stairs into the kitchen.

Dean sat down at the kitchen table while Sam and Amy stood off to the side. Mary placed a pb&j sandwich in front of Dean and poured him a glass of milk. They smiled at each other.

"You want the crust cut off?" Mary asked with a slight smirk.

Dean let out a breath. "Yeah. I'd love that."

"Mom?" Sam asked.

Mary didn't answer, and Amy couldn't help but feel bad for Sam.

Dean looked at Sam, then back at Mary, who smiled back at Dean as she continued cutting the crust off. "I guess this is not your memory, Sam," he said apologetically. "Sorry."

Sam's face fell. "Dean, uh. We should… go. Keep looking for the road."

"Just… just give me a minute, okay?" Dean asked.

"Dean, Sam's right," Amy cut in. "We-"

"Sam, Amy, please. One minute."

Amy sighed, and Sam nodded reluctantly. Mary ruffled Dean's hair as she moved away from the table.

The phone on the counter rang, and the hunters turned to watch Mary answer it.

"Hello?" Mary greeted with a smile. The smile quickly turned into a frown as she turned away from Dean. "No, John. We're not having this conversation again." She paused, listening to John on the other line. "Think about what?" Another pause. "You've two boys at home."

"I remember this," Dean said. "Mom and Dad were fighting, and then he moved out for a couple days."

"Dad always said they had the perfect marriage," Sam recalled.

"It wasn't perfect until after she died," Dean admitted.

"Fine," Mary continued into the phone. "Then don't." There was another pause. "There's nothing more to talk about."

Mary hung up the phone and turned away from the table, fighting back the tears.

"What happens next?" Sam asked.

Dean stood up from the table and walked over to Mary, pulling her into a hug. "It's okay, Mom," he said. "Dad still loves you. I love you, too. I'll never leave you."

Sam looked enlightened as he watched the scene. Amy smiled slightly as Dean and Mary hugged until eventually, they broke apart.

Mary cupped Dean's cheeks in her hands. "You are my little angel." She smiled at him, a little too wide. "How 'bout some pie? Okay." She moved away, and Dean walked back over to Sam and Amy.

Sam shook his head sadly.

"What?" Dean asked.

"I just never realized how long you've been cleaning up Dad's messes."

Dean frowned. "Whatever. Let's keep moving."

They began to search the house, opening cupboards and drawers. Something in one of the drawers caught Amy's eye. It was a tiny Impala on a keychain. She held it up, and it glinted in the light.

* * *

Amy suddenly heard a lot of conversations and lowered the keychain. As she did, she noticed that the scenery had changed again. They were in a large room with vendors' tables that had merchandise on them spread out. Dozens of people walked around, some of them talking and others viewing the merchandise on the tables.

Amy glanced down at her clothes. She was wearing a 'Join the Hunt' t-shirt with an unbuttoned flannel shirt over it and had on a replica of Dean's amulet.

"Is that my amulet?" Dean asked, noticing her necklace. His clothes had changed back into more adult ones.

Amy nodded. "Yeah. I got it on Amazon for ten dollars, and there were tons in stock when I did."

"So, this must be your memory," Sam realized. "Where are we?"

Amy smiled. She walked over to a table with laminated photos spread out and picked one up. She held it up for Sam and Dean to see.

Dean took a look at the picture Amy was holding. "You gotta be kidding me." He took the photo from Amy and showed it to Sam.

"Is-is that me?" Sam asked.

Amy nodded, fighting to hold back laughter. "This is the first Supernatural convention I went to for the TV show. I was fourteen and had been a fan of the show for maybe five years or so?" She turned back to look at the other photos. "I decided I wanted to go to a convention one year, but I was too young to get a job, so I took some side jobs. Washing cars, mowing lawns, etcetera, just to make some extra money so I could buy a ticket. It took me a full year, but I finally bought my ticket for the weekend a week before the convention started."

Dean took a look at the photos as well. There were a lot of him and Sam, as well as other characters. Gabriel, Crowley, Lucifer, even Chuck, and some characters that Sam and Dean hadn't met yet.

"Why are there so many photos of Chuck on this table?" Dean asked. "We don't even see the guy that much."

Amy smirked. "Believe it or not, there are some fans of the show that actually like the side characters, even if they were just in one episode. Rob, the guy who plays Chuck on the show, is actually one of the hosts of these conventions."

"One of?" Sam asked.

Amy nodded. "The other is Richard Speight Jr. He's the guy that plays Gabe on the show." She let out a laugh. "Rob and Rich are the comedic best friend duo of the cast."

Suddenly, Amy could hear the song "Anyway You Want It" being sung from the other room, where the panels took place. She smiled again, recognizing the voice.

"Who's singing?" Dean asked.

"Rob," Amy explained. "He's the lead singer of a band, and they play a certain song when one of the cast members comes out to do a panel. This is the one that plays when the actors who play you two come out."

Sam and Dean shifted a little uncomfortably.

"We should get out of here," Dean said quickly.

Amy held up the Impala keychain, which she still had in her hand. "Hey, I bought this at this convention. What do you think the chances are that I could take this with me back to Earth?"

"I'd say slim to none," Dean challenged. "In fact, I'll bet you ten bucks you can't take that with you."

Amy looked at the keychain, then back to Dean. "Challenge accepted." She stuck it into her jacket pocket and followed Sam and Dean through the room.

They walked through the room, looking for anything resembling a road. Amy looked through photos on another table, while Sam and Dean looked around anywhere else.

"Hey!" Sam called out to them. "Over here."

Amy and Dean joined Sam over by some postcards pinned to a wall.

Sam pointed to a postcard that said 'Route 66' on it. "I've seen this somewhere before."

"Where?" Dean asked.

The loud conversations from the convention faded away, and Amy suddenly found herself standing in a small shack. The postcard Sam had pointed to was now on a wall covered with several other 'Route 66' postcards.

Dean stepped in front of the postcards. His clothes had changed again, but the leather jacket was missing. Instead, he had on a canvas coat. "Where are we?" he asked.

Sam's clothes had changed as well to a slightly different shirt and coat. He looked around, his eyes landing on something that made him smile. "No way."

Amy, whose clothes had also changed out of the previous ones, turned as a golden retriever entered the room.

Sam bent down excitedly. "Bones! Hey, c'mere! C'mere!"

Bones ran up and began licking Sam's face.

"Hey, hey, hey, hey," Sam said, trying to calm the dog down.

"Bones?" Dean asked.

"Yeah. Bones was my dog." Sam stood up and walked over to a cheap-looking coffee table with a pizza box on it.

"Your… your dog?" Dean repeated.

"When did you have a dog?" Amy asked.

Sam sat down on the couch, pulling a slice of pizza out of the box. Bones sat next to him, tail wagging.

Amy walked over and began petting the Bones. The dog didn't react, but Amy didn't care. She kept petting.

"Is this Flagstaff?" Dean asked.

"Yeah," Sam answered happily. He pet the dog with Amy. "Hey, boy."

"This is a good memory for you?"

Sam laughed. "Yeah. I mean, I was on my own for two weeks. I lived on Funyuns and Mr. Pibb." He fed the dog some of his pizza.

"Wow," Dean muttered, clearly unimpressed.

Sam looked up, frowning. "What?"

"Well, you don't remember, do you?" Dean asked. "You ran away on my watch. I looked everywhere for you. I thought you were dead. And when Dad came home…" he scoffed.

Amy looked down, avoiding looking at either brother. Dean's tone finished the sentence for him.

"Dean, look, I'm sorry. I never thought about it like that,"

"Forget it. Let's roll." Dean started walking towards a door that had daylight streaming through it. He walked out, leaving Sam and Amy behind.

Sam gave Bones a final treat before standing up. Amy pet the dog a few more times and stood up as well.

Sam began to follow Dean out of the room, and the dog started to follow. He bent down to give the dog a last pet. "Stay. Bones-y, stay."

As the dog sat down, Sam walked out of the room after Dean and Amy followed.

* * *

As soon as Amy stepped out of the shack, the scenery changed again. The daylight was gone, and it was now nighttime again.

They were in the middle of the street, across from an old house with a porch wrapped around. They turned around, only to find that the shack they had just come from was now gone.

"Okay, this is getting really trippy," Amy muttered.

Sam turned back to the old house and let out a sigh, obviously remembering where they were.

"What memory is this?" Dean asked.

"No idea," Sam said quickly. "Alright, come on."

Dean didn't move.

"Dean," Sam said a little louder. "Road. God. Remember?" He chuckled nervously.

"Wait a minute. Wait a minute. This?" Dean turned to Sam, looking at him accusingly. "This is the night you ditched us for Stanford, isn't it? This is your idea of heaven? Wow." He let out a bitter laugh and turned away. "This was one of the worst nights of my life."

"I can't control this stuff," Sam reminded Dean.

Dean turned back to Sam. "Seriously? I mean, this is a happy memory for you?"

"Guys, can we just go?" Amy asked. She didn't wanna be in the middle of a fight between the two brothers.

Sam shrugged, either ignoring or not hearing what she had said. "I don't know. I mean, I was on my own. I finally got away from Dad."

Dean turned back away. "Yeah, he wasn't the only one you got away from."

"Dean, I'm sorry. I just, uh…" Sam stammered.

Amy rocked on her feet as Dean scoffed.

"I know. You didn't, you didn't think of it like that," Dean said, repeating what Sam had said earlier.

"Dean!"

"C'mon!" Dean let out a laugh. "Your heaven is somebody else's Thanksgiving. Okay? It's bailing on your family. What do you want me to say?"

"Man, I never got the crusts cut off my PB & J," Sam shouted. "I just don't look at family the way you do."

"Yeah, but I'm your family," Dean countered. He pointed at Amy. "Amy is your family."

Sam sighed. "I know…"

"I mean, the three of us, we're supposed to be a team," Dean interrupted. "It's supposed to be us against the world, right?"

"Dean, it is!" Sam shouted.

Dean paused for a moment. "Is it?"

Sam looked devastated for a moment. Before he could say anything else, though, a bright spotlight landed on them.

"Go! Go!"

The hunters started running through the forest until they came across a log. They jumped over it and ducked down to hide, breathing hard.

"Wow," a voice Amy hoped never to hear again said. "Running from angels. On foot. In heaven. With out-of-the-box thinking like that, I'm surprised you three haven't stopped the Apocalypse already."

Zachariah snapped his fingers, and it was suddenly daytime. "Guys. What's the problem? I just want to send you back to Earth, that's all.

Amy peeked over the log with Sam and Dean. Zachariah was standing a few yards away with his back to them. They ducked back down as he began to turn.

"I mean, that is, after I tear you a cosmos of new ones," Zachariah continued. "You're on my turf now, boys. And by the time I'm through with you, you're going to be begging to say yes."

Sam and Dean took off running, and Amy quickly followed. They got a few feet before stopping abruptly as Zachariah appeared in front of them.

"Guys, c'mon," the angel said. "You can run, but you can't run."

The hunters quickly turned, running back the way they had come from. This time, in their path, they came across a figure in a colorful mask and gold cape.

The figure lifted a finger, gesturing for them to be quiet. He waved them forward. "Hurry! This way."

The figure led them to a small wooden shack. He scribbled some symbols on a rusted door and opened it, running inside with the hunters close behind.

* * *

Amy found herself inside a bar that was much bigger than the small shack they had just entered should have allowed. It was dim, but tables and chairs were visible in the light from the windows.

"Wait. Who are you?" Sam asked.

The figure pulled off his mask and cape and threw them to the side. "Buenos días, bitches."

"Ash?" Dean asked, recognizing the voice.

Ash clapped his hands twice, and the lights came on. He spread out his arms. "Welcome to my blue heaven."

Dean and Amy looked around while Sam smiled.

Music began playing on the jukebox.

"Good God, the Roadhouse," Dean said with a laugh. "It even smells the same."

Ash picked the cape and mask back up. "Bud, blood and beer nuts." He walked around to the back of the bar and snapped his fingers. "It's the best smell in the world. How 'bout a cold one? Up here? No hangover."

Amy sat on a barstool. "This is the roadhouse?" she asked.

"Who are you?" Ash asked.

"This is Amy," Dean introduced as he and Sam sat on the other barstools. "We met her a couple years ago, during the Devil's Gate thing. She hunts with us now."

Ash nodded at Amy. "Name's Ash," he told her as he passed out three cans of beer.

"So… no offense…" Sam began.

Ash interrupted him. "How did a dirtbag like me end up in a place like this? I've been saved, man. I was my congregation's number one snake handler."

Sam smiled. "And you said this was your heaven?"

"Yup! My own… personal…" he shotgunned a beer while the hunters watched, letting out a burp when he was done.

"And when the angels jumped us?" Sam continued. "We were…"

"In your heaven," Ash finished.

"So there are two heavens?" Sam asked.

"There aren't two people in the world, Sam," Amy said.

"Kid's right," Ash confirmed. "There's more like a hundred billion heavens. So, no worries, it'll take them angel boys a minute to catch up."

"What?" Dean asked, completely confused.

"See, you gotta stop thinking of heaven as one place," Ash explained. "It's more like a butt-load of places all crammed together. Like Disneyland except without all the anti-Semitism."

"Disneyland?" Sam repeated.

Ash nodded. "Mm-hmm. Yeah. See, you got Winchesterland," he explained as he gestured to the bar. He gestured around the bar next. "Ashland. A whole mess of everybody-else-lands. Put them all together: heaven. Right? At the center of it all? Is the Magic Kingdom. The Garden."

"So everybody gets a little slice of paradise," Dean said, starting to get it.

"Pretty much," Ash said. "A few people share—special cases. What not."

Dean frowned. "What do you mean 'special'?"

"Aw, you know. Like, uh, soul-mates."

Ash's statement was met with silence. Sam and Dean didn't even look at each other, and Amy took a sip of her beer.

Ash cleared his throat. "Anyway. Most people can't leave their own private Idaho's."

"But you ain't most people," Dean realized.

Ash clicked his tongue. "Nope. They ain't got my skills. Hell, I've been all over. Johnny Cash. André the Giant." He turned to Sam. "Einstein. Sam, that man can mix a White Russian. Hell, the other day? I found Mallanāga Vātsyāyana."

"Who?" Sam asked.

"He wrote the Kama Sutra," Ash told them. "Huh, that boy's heaven? Ah, sweaty. Confusing."

"All this from a guy who used to sleep on a pool table," Dean said, mildly impressed.

Ash smiled. "Yeah. Now that I'm dead, I'm living, man, a whole lot more."

"That's pretty damn impressive," Amy said.

"So, how'd you find us?" Sam asked.

"I rigged up my very own-" Ash pulled his laptop out from underneath the bar, "-holy-rolling police scanner."

He pushed the power button, and the laptop started up. The screen showed a garbled bunch of sound waves, accompanied by a high-pitched noise, which made Sam, Dean, and Amy flinch back.

"That's angels," Ash explained over the noise. "Blabbing Enochian, okay? I'm fluent." He turned the laptop off and put it back under the bar. "I heard that you were up. Of course, I had to come find you." He paused, staring at them knowingly. "Again."

Dean looked surprised. "Again?"

"This ain't the first time here," Ash informed him. He pointed at Amy. "Far as I know, this is her first time here, but you boys die more than anyone I've ever met."

Dean now looked even more surprised. "Really?"

"Ah, yeah… you don't remember." Ash let out an exasperated sigh. "God! Angels. Must've Windexed your brain."

"So, uh. I mean, have you found anybody else?" Sam asked.

Ash shook his head. "Hey, how are Jo and Ellen doing?"

Dean smiled. "They're doing great last we heard. I talked to Ellen last week. She was heading up to Colorado with Jo for a hunt."

"Awesome," Ash said. "Good to know those two are still kicking."

"How 'bout our folks?" Dean asked.

Ash shook his head. "I've been looking all over for John Winchester, Mary too, but so far: nada. I'm sorry."

"What about um…" Amy paused for a moment before continuing. "A Jessica and Henry Jones? Ever run into anyone by that name?"

Ash shook his head. "Don't think so, no." He straightened up. "But hey! There is somebody that wants to jaw with you. Hold up." He left the bar, walking into the back room. There were symbols on the door, just like the ones he had chalked onto the door of the shack.

"Jessica and Henry Jones?" Dean asked.

"My parents, remember?" Amy reminded him. "I know it was a long shot, but they are dead, and in case you forgot, so are we currently.

Ash returned with a woman Amy recognized instantly.

"Pamela!" Sam exclaimed.

Pamela now had both of her eyes back. She smiled as she walked towards the hunters. "Nice to see you guys again."

Ash faked a shiver. "Ooh!" He pulled his laptop out from under the bar again. "How about we find a way to get you three to the Garden?"

Dean stood up. "Why don't you three do that?" he asked, gesturing to Sam, Ash, and Amy. "Pamela and I got some catching up to do." He walked with Pamela over to one of the tables and sat down.

Ash walked around the bar and sat on a barstool between Sam and Amy. He cracked his knuckles and began typing quickly.

Sam and Amy watched on, impressed.

"So this is how you get around up here?" Sam asked.

"Hm, more or less," Ash confirmed. "It's awesome to finally have an application—a practical application—for string theory."

Sam shook his head in amusement as Ash continued working.

Amy and Sam stayed silent as they watched Ash type away. Out of the corner of her eye, Amy saw Pamela whack Dean on the back of the head. She let out a light chuckle as she took a sip of her beer.

"If it makes you feel any better," Dean said loudly, "we got Ash killed too."

Ash snapped his fingers and held up a rock salute. "I'm cool with it!"

Sam smiled as he looked back at Dean and Pamela.

Ash continued working on his laptop until, finally, something caught his eye. He pointed to the screen. "There," he said.

Sam and Amy leaned closer to see what was on Ash's computer as if they could read it.

"What is it?" Sam asked.

"Your way out," Ash said.

"That's the shortcut to the Garden?" Amy asked.

Ash nodded. "Mm-hmm."

The three of them turned back to Dean and Pamela.

"Hey!" Sam called out. "Found a shortcut to the Garden."

Ash gave another rock salute, which Pamela returned. "Oh yeah."

Ash stood up and led the hunters back over to a door with a 'Come In We're Open' sign on it. Underneath the sign, he drew a different sigil-formula. "All-Access Pass to the Magic Kingdom," he muttered as he drew the sigil.

"Good," Dean said. He was standing behind Ash while Sam, Amy, and Pamela stood a little further back.

Ash stopped drawing and turned to look at Dean.

Dean frowned. "Not good?"

"That Zach fella's going to be watching every road to the Garden," Ash said, pointing to his own eyes. He turned back to the door and kept drawing.

Dean turned around as Sam pulled Pamela into a hug.

"Watch your ass," Pamela told Sam. She turned to the other Winchester. "And Dean."

Dean reached out for a hug, but Pamela pulled his head down for a kiss instead.

When they finally stopped kissing, Pamela smiled. "Yup. Just how I imagined." She tapped Dean's cheek and chuckled.

Amy didn't say anything. The last time she had seen Pamela, things hadn't ended so well, and Pamela had seemed mad at her. She wanted to get out of here and avoid any confrontation.

"Hey, kid," Pamela said, much to Amy's dismay. "Come here a sec."

Amy reluctantly walked over to Pamela. "Hey, Pamela."

"So you're the kid from another world," Pamela said with a smirk.

Amy avoided the woman's eyes. "Yeah, I, uh, I guess."

"Kid...Amy, look at me," Pamela said firmly.

Amy slowly looked up at the psychic.

"Don't beat yourself up over something you couldn't control," Pamela told her. "I was gonna die no matter what. I'm sorry I said 'screw you' to you that day, but I'm not mad. Alright?"

Amy nodded. "Alright."

"You keep beating yourself up over things you can't control, and you'll never make it out there, you hear?" Pamela continued. "Shit happens. You just gotta learn to get over it."

Amy gave the woman a small smile. "Yeah, alright."

Pamela pulled Amy into a hug. Amy hugged her back for a moment before they finally pulled away.

Ash had finished drawing the sigil on the door. He stood up and turned to the group. "Ah, gentlemen, I don't mean to be a downer or anything but… I'm sure I'll see you again soon." He turned to Amy. "Don't know about you, but maybe I'll see you again as well."

Dean turned back to Pamala and winked at her. She smiled back, and he turned to Ash. "Well, keep a sixer on ice for us."

Ash nodded. "Yeah." He opened the door, and Sam led the way through.

"Bye, Ash," Amy said as she walked through the door last.

* * *

The hunters found themselves in a dark house, which Amy recognized as the one from Dean's memory. A train whistle could be heard outside.

"Weren't we already here?" Amy asked.

"Why are we back home?" Dean asked, looking around.

"I don't know. So what are we going to do?" Sam asked.

"Keep looking for the road again, I guess."

Behind Dean, Mary appeared. This time, she was in a white nightgown. "Honey. Why are you up?" she asked softly.

"Look. I'm-I'm sorry," Dean stammered. "I love you, but you're not real, and we don't have time—"

Mary cut Dean off. "Did you have another nightmare? Tell me."

Dean paused for a moment as he looked at his mother. "I gotta go," he finally said, walking away.

"Then how 'bout I tell you my nightmare, Dean?" Mary continued, the sweetness in her voice disappearing. "The night I burned."

As the hunters watched, the nightgown Mary was wearing began to get soaked in blood. Amy knew what this was. She obviously hadn't been there, but she knew the scene all-too-well from the show.

"Sammy, Ames, let's get out of here," Dean said, his voice shaking. He turned away from Mary.

"Don't you walk away from me," Mary snapped, stopping Dean in his tracks. "I never loved you. You were my burden. I was shackled to you. Look what it got me." She blinked, and her eyes turned yellow.

"Dean, come on, we gotta get out of here!" Amy said.

Dean was frozen in place, staring at Mary's yellow eyes.

"Dean," Sam tried.

Dean finally turned, looking devastated.

"Dean, it's not real!" Amy tried again. "But we have to go, now!"

The lights in the house changed color, switching to a green hue. Around them, the room began to change until all the doors were gone.

Mary blinked again, and her eyes went back to normal. "The worst was the smell. The pain, well. What can you say about your skin bubbling off? But the smell was so…" She smiled at the memory. "You know, for a second, I thought I'd left a pot roast burning in the oven. But… it was my meat."

Dean walked away from Mary. He moved to the wall where the doorway used to be and put his hands on the bricks that were there instead.

"And then, finally, I was dead," Mary continued. "The one silver lining was that at least I was away from you." She took a deep breath. "Everybody leaves you, Dean. You noticed? Mommy. Daddy. Even Sam." She tilted her head and looked at Amy. "And her."

Amy didn't say anything, and neither did Sam. They both glanced down at the floor as Mary chuckled.

"You ever ask yourself why?" Mary asked. "Maybe it's not them. Maybe, it's you." She started

"Easy now, kitten."

Zachariah walked up behind Mary while she flashed an evil smile.

"You did this," Sam accused.

"And I'm just getting started," Zachariah taunted. "I mean, guys. Did you really think you could just sneak past me into Mission Control?"

"You son of a bitch."

Amy was suddenly grabbed from behind by a large angel. Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw Sam and Dean get grabbed from behind as well.

"You know," Zachariah continued, "I'd say the same thing about you, Sam, but I have actually grown quite fond of your mother. Or at least the Blessed Memory of her." He moved Mary's hair, then bent down and kissed her neck.

Dean looked away as Zachariah kissed Mary. Amy struggled against the angel holding her arms behind her back, but it was no use.

"I think we're going to be logging a lot of quality time together. I've discovered she's quite the... MILF," Zachariah said.

"You can gloat all you want, you dick. You're still bald," Dean said, trying to insult Zachariah.

"In heaven, I have six wings and four faces, one of whom is a lion. You see this because you're…" Zachariah stopped, running his fingers down Mary's arm, "...limited."

This time, Sam looked away. Zachariah snapped his fingers, and Mary disappeared. "Let's brass tack this, shall we?"

"You gonna ball-gag us until we say yes?" Dean asked. "Huh, yeah, I've heard that one too."

Zachariah stepped forward and slammed his fist into Dean's stomach.

"Dean!" Amy cried out as Dean folded over.

"I'm going to do a lot more than that," Zachariah threatened. "I've cleared my schedule. Get him up."

Zachariah punched Dean again. Sam began struggling against the angel holding him.

"Screw you," Amy yelled, struggling harder against the angel holding her.

"Let me tell you something," Zachariah said quietly. "I was on the fast track once. Employee of the month, every month, forever. I would walk these halls, and people would _avert their eyes_!" The house began to shake as Zachariah continued. " _I had 'respect_ ''!"

Zachariah paused briefly as the hunters flinched back at his sudden loud outburst. "And then they assigned me you. Now, look at me." He chuckled unhappily. "I can't close the deal on a couple of flannel-wearing maggots? Everybody's laughing at me… and they're right to do it.

Zachariah shrugged. "So! Say yes, don't say yes; I'm still going to take it out of your asses. It's personal now, boys, and the last person in the history of creation you want as your enemy is me. And I'll tell you why. Lucifer may be strong, but I'm…petty. I'm going to be the angel on your shoulder for the rest of eternity."

"Excuse me. Sir?" a different voice asked.

Zachariah turned, and Amy could see an older, black man standing behind him. She raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"I'm in a meeting," Zachariah said to the newcomer.

"I'm sorry. I need to speak to those three," the old man...angel, said, pointing to the hunters.

Zachariah looked back at the hunters, shocked. "Excuse me?"

"It's a bad time, I know, but I'm afraid I have to insist."

Zachariah scoffed. "You don't get to insist jack-squat."

The newcomer didn't seem unnerved. "No, you're right. But the boss does. His orders."

Amy exchanged a look with Sam and Dean.

Zachariah looked uncertain. "You're lying."

"I wouldn't lie about this," the newcomer said, smirking slightly. "Look, fire me if you want. Sooner or later, he's going to come back home, and you know how he is with that whole wrath thing."

Zachariah turned back to the hunters, then back to the newcomer. There was a flutter of wings, and Zachariah and the angels holding the hunters disappeared.

The hunters stepped closer to each other, staring at the angel. All of a sudden, the scenery changed again, and Amy found herself in a conservatory. Around her, she could hear what sounded like a forest.

The angel that had sent Zachariah away was standing at the bottom of a flight of stone steps. Amy followed Sam and Dean down them slowly as she looked around at her surroundings.

"This is heaven's Garden?" Sam asked.

"It's-it's nice… ish. I guess," Dean said.

"You see what you want to here," the angel explained. "For some, it's God's throne room; for others, it's Eden. You three, I believe it's the Cleveland Botanical Gardens." He nodded towards Sam and Dean. "You two came here on a field trip."

Amy frowned. "I've never been to Cleveland."

"We had to make a few exceptions in this case," the angel explained, "since you three were together."

"You're Joshua," Sam realized.

The angel nodded. "I'm Joshua."

"So, you talk to God?" Sam asked.

"Mostly, He talks to me," Joshua corrected.

"Well, we need to speak to Him," Sam insisted. "It's important."

"Where is he?" Dean asked.

"On Earth," Joshua revealed.

Sam and Dean looked shocked at the info. Amy didn't say anything, already knowing where Chuck was and not wanting to give anything away.

"Doing what?" Dean asked.

Joshua shrugged. "I don't know."

"Do you know where on Earth?" Sam asked.

Joshua shook his head. "No, sorry. We don't exactly speak face-to-face."

"I… I don't get it," Dean said, not getting the answer he had been hoping for. "God's not talking to nobody, so…"

"Why's he talking to me?" Joshua finished. "I sometimes think it's because I can sympathize—gardener to gardener—and, between us, I think he gets lonely."

"Well, my heart's breaking for him," Dean said in a disgusted tone.

Sam cut Dean off. "Well, can you at least get him a message for us?"

"Actually, he has a message for you." Joshua's voice got firmer. "Back off."

"Huh?" Amy asked.

"What?"

"He knows already," Joshua said. "Everything you want to tell him."

"But…"

Joshua cut Dean off. "He knows what the angels are doing. He knows that the Apocalypse has begun. He just doesn't think it's his problem."

Dean looked stunned. "Not his problem?"

"God saved you already," Joshua explained. "He put you on that plane. He brought back Castiel. He granted you salvation in heaven-" he turned to Sam, "-and after everything you've done too." The angel turned to Amy next. "He even brought you back after sending you away. It's more than he's intervened in a long time. He's finished. Magic amulet or not, you won't be able to find him."

"But he can stop it," Dean insisted. "He can stop all of it."

Joshua shrugged. "I suppose he could, but he won't."

"Why not?" Dean asked, his voice shaking slightly.

"Why does he allow evil in the first place?" Joshua countered. "You could drive yourself nuts asking questions like that."

"So he's just going to sit back and watch the world burn?"

"I know how important this was to you, Dean," Joshua said softly. "I'm sorry."

Dean nodded. "Forget it," he said emotionally. "Just another dead-beat dad with a bunch of excuses, right. I'm used to that. I'll muddle through."

"Except…" Joshua shook his head, "-you don't know if you can, this time. You can't kill the Devil, and you're losing faith in yourself, your brother, Amy, and now this?"

Amy glanced down, avoiding the angel's eyes. She knew how desperate Dean was about getting God's help.

"God was your last hope," Joshua said apologetically. "I just… I wish I could tell you something different."

Amy finally looked back up as Sam spoke. She glanced over at Dean, who had tears starting to form in his eyes.

"How do we know you're telling the truth?" Sam asked.

Joshua frowned. "You think that I would lie?"

"It's just that… you're not exactly the first angel we've met," Sam reminded him.

"Yeah," Amy spoke. "I mean, you saw what Zachariah was doing."

"I'm rooting for you three!" Joshua told them. "I wish I could do more to help you, I do! But... I just trim the hedges."

"So what now?" Dean asked.

"You go home again." Joshua began to walk away, turning back after a few steps. "I'm afraid this time won't be like the last. This time, God wants you-" Joshua lifted a hand, "-to remember."

Amy heard what sounded like a loud gust of wind as she was blinded by a bright light.

* * *

**February 28th, 2010 - Econo King Motel**

Amy's eyes shot open. She quickly sat up, finding herself back on the couch in the motel room. Next to her, Sam sat up as well, followed by Dean.

"Did that really just happen?" Amy asked.

Sam nodded. "Yeah, it did." He looked down at his bloody chest, then turned to Dean. "You alright?"

Dean groaned. "Define alright." He reached over and picked up his cellphone, standing up as he dialed a number.

As Dean stood up, Amy could see that his back was covered in blood from the exit wounds. She looked down at her own shirt to see that it was soaked in blood.

As Dean stepped into the other room, Amy stood up. She walked towards her bag, sticking her hands in her pocket as she did.

Something in Amy's pocket made her stop. She pulled out the Impala keychain she had gotten from the convention memory and held it up.

"Is that the-?"

Amy nodded. "Yeah." She turned to Dean, who was still on the phone. "I don't think now's a good time to tell Dean he lost the bet, though." She pocketed the keychain. "I'll tell him later."

"Here." Sam pulled out his wallet, handing her a ten-dollar bill.

"Sam, you don't have to do that," Amy said.

"Just take it, Ames," Sam said. "You won the bet."

Amy smiled, finally taking the bill from Sam. "Thanks."

Dean stepped back into the room just as Cas arrived. The angel looked hopeless as he leaned against the room divider.

The hunters began packing their bags. Amy unzipped hers to find a folded piece of paper on top. She quietly opened it up to find two words scribbled onto it: 'You're welcome.' Smiling to herself, she put the note and the keychain into her bag and continued packing.

"Maybe… maybe Joshua was lying," Cas said hopefully.

The hunters turned to him, not saying anything for a moment.

Sam sighed. "I don't think he was, Cas. I'm sorry.

Cas moved to the entryway of the room and looked up as Dean and Amy watched. "You son of a bitch. I believed in…" Cas stopped talking as he stared up at the ceiling.

Dean hesitated slightly, looking as if he wanted to approach Cas, but he didn't move. Cas continued staring up at the ceiling before finally turning back to the hunters. He turned to Dean and pulled the amulet from his pocket.

"I don't need this anymore." Cas tossed the amulet back to Dean, who held it up by the thread. "It's worthless."

Cas turned away, and Sam quickly moved to stop him. "Cas. Wait." His plea fell on deaf ears as Cas disappeared.

Amy sat on the bed as Sam angrily tossed his shirt into his bag. Dean stared at the amulet in his hands, not looking up from it.

"We'll find another way," Sam said, walking forward. "We can still stop all this, Dean."

Dean finally looked up. "How?"

"I don't know," Sam admitted, "but we'll find it. The three of us, we'll find it."

Dean looked disbelievingly at his brother. He grabbed his bag and walked over to the door, passing Sam without a look. He stopped by the door, hesitating for a moment, before dropping the amulet into the trashcan and walking out.

Amy sighed as Sam walked over to the trashcan with an unreadable expression on his face. "He doesn't mean it," she muttered, unsure if she believed that herself.

"I know." Sam reached down and pulled the amulet back out of the trashcan. "I just...this is my fault. All of it."

"We'll figure this out, Sam," Amy said. "I know we will."

Sam sighed. He slipped the necklace into his pocket. "I hope you're right." With that, he left the room, leaving Amy alone.

Amy finally stood up. "Dammit!" she cursed loudly as she kicked the wall. Everything was falling apart, and she felt like there was nothing she could do, not unless she revealed Chuck's secret to Sam and Dean. She couldn't do that, though. She wouldn't do that.

Picking up her bag, Amy finally followed Sam and Dean out to the waiting Impala and climbed into the back. Dean put the car into drive and pulled out of the parking lot towards their next hunt.


	52. 99 Problems

**March 15th, 2010 - Blue Earth, Minnesota**

A few weeks later, Amy found herself in Minnesota with Sam and Dean, looking into demonic omens that had appeared in a small town.

Dean was speeding down the dark road when he suddenly slowed down and pulled over.

Sam frowned at his brother. "What is it?"

"I saw something," Dean said, not taking his eyes off of a line of trees out Sam's window. He grabbed his gun and got out of the car.

Amy and Sam grabbed their guns as well and followed Dean. As soon as they were outside, a familiar, unwanted smell caught Amy's attention.

"Guys?" she called out. "You smell that?"

Sam sniffed the air. "Sulfur." His tone was bitter. He held his shotgun higher.

"Very good, Sammy," a voice teased.

The hunters quickly turned to see a man standing a few feet away, between a couple of trees. He blinked, and his eyes turned black.

Dean aimed his gun, and the demon clicked his tongue.

"Dean, Dean, Dean," the demon taunted, "you can't expect to stop all of us, can you?"

Amy heard a branch break and spun around to see even more demons stepping out of the shadows. She raised her gun, moving it back and forth from demon to demon, waiting to take a shot if she had to.

"There's too many of them!" Dean shouted. "Back to the car, go!"

Amy took a few shots at the demons before following Sam and Dean back to the Impala.

"Just run!" Dean repeated. "We can't hold them all off!"

Amy lowered her gun and broke out into a sprint towards the Impala. They finally reached it and climbed inside.

Dean started the engine and sped off, his foot pushing the gas pedal to the floor.

"Drive faster, Dean," Sam said frantically.

Amy looked through the back windshield to see that the demons were on their tail. "They're right behind us!"

"I know, I can't go any faster!" Dean snapped. He turned to Sam. "Are you okay?"

Sam groaned, holding his shoulder. "Yeah, I'm amazing."

Dean quickly glanced through the back window. "You ever seen that many?"

"No," Sam said. "No way, not in one place."

"What the hell?" Dean muttered.

Dean continued speeding down the road. He drifted around a corner and drove down another street, only to come to a screeching halt in front of something blocking the road.

"What the hell?" Amy asked, staring up at what blocked their path. It was what appeared to be a large semi-truck set on fire and pushed onto its side.

"Damn it!" Dean swore loudly. He spun the steering wheel and turned the Impala around.

The two front windows and one of the back windows were suddenly shattered. Demons reached inside the car and began dragging the hunters out. One of the demons had its arm around Amy's neck as it pulled her through the broken window.

Without warning, Amy heard the demon holding her screech and let go. She looked around to see the demons holding Sam and Dean release them as well.

Looking up, Amy saw that a large truck had arrived. It was spraying water on the demons and had a megaphone on the top.

A man stepped up to the megaphone and began speaking. The demons started screeching as black smoke flew out of the vessels, but Amy didn't recognize the language. It wasn't the Latin exorcism Sam, Dean, and she knew.

Finally, the last vessel fell to the ground, and the man stopped speaking. The hunters stayed in the Impala, still in shock from what had just happened.

Amy was the first to speak. "What...the hell just happened?"

"Well, that's something you don't see every day," Dean finally said.

Still in shock, the hunters got out of the Impala.

The man who had exorcised the demons approached. "You three alright?"

"Peachy," Dean said, breathlessly.

"Be careful. It's…dangerous around here." The man turned back around.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait." Dean hurried around the front of the car as the man walked back to the truck.

The man held up a hand but didn't turn back. "No need to thank us."

"No, hold up a sec!" Dean called out, jogging towards the man. "Who are you?"

The man finally turned back to the hunters. "We're the Sacrament Lutheran Militia."

"I'm sorry—the what?" Dean asked as Sam and Amy joined him.

"I hate to tell you this, but those were demons, and this is the Apocalypse," the man said. "So…buckle up."

The three hunters stood in silence for a moment before Amy finally spoke.

"Uh, yeah, about that," she began.

"We know all about the apocalypse," Dean added. "I'm Dean, this is my brother Sam, and that's Amy."

"Hey," Amy said, giving a small wave.

"Rob," the man introduced. "You three say you three know about the apocalypse."

"Yeah, well, we were kinda there when it started," Dean said.

Rob frowned. "What?"

"Nothing," Dean said quickly. He led Rob and the other men to the Impala's trunk and opened it before propping open the weapon's box.

"Looks like we're in the same line of business," Sam said.

"And among colleagues." Dean pointed to the shotgun Rob was holding. "That's a police-issued shotgun. That truck is, uh…inspired. Where'd you guys pick up all this crap?"

"You know you pick things up along the way," one of the young men with Rob said.

Rob and another man chuckled slightly.

"Guys, come on. This whole corner of the state is nuts with demon omens. We just want to help. That's all.

"We're on the same team here," Sam added. "Just talk to us."

Rob exchanged a look with his men. After a moment, he nodded. "Follow us." He got back into the truck and drove off.

Amy slid into the backseat of the Impala as Sam and Dean got into the front.

"Well, that was, uh...something," Amy spoke. "Also, is it just me, or did that exorcism sound different than the one we use?"

"No, you're right," Sam agreed. "That didn't sound like Latin at all. I'm pretty sure it was Enochian. What do you think, Dean?"

"I think we just got saved from demons by some fellow hunters," Dean said. "Let's just see what's up with these guys."

* * *

**March 16th, 2010**

The sun started to rise just before they got to town, reflecting off overcast clouds and heavy mist. They pulled up to a church and got out.

Sam and Dean had changed shirts before they arrived. As they got out, Sam tossed Dean his bloody shirt. Dean tossed the shirt into the trunk and grabbed his pistol. Amy already had hers as she waited for the Winchesters to get ready.

Concrete barriers line with barbed wire lined the streets and the path to the church doors. Two armed men stood at the end of the sidewalk, on either side of a large red devil's trap. There was no way around the trap, which meant the only way to the church was by going through it.

Amy followed Sam and Dean into the church. Many people were sitting on the pews, and a smaller group stood near the front. She scanned the rows to see that everyone on the ends of the pews was holding a shotgun in hand.

A man in a tan jacket was standing facing the crowd. He had a book open in his hands as he addressed a couple directly in front of him. "Who would have thought the Apocalypse could be so romantic? Marriage, family—it's a blessing, especially in times like this. So hold on to that."

Amy couldn't believe what she was hearing. Was someone getting married? During the apocalypse?

Sam scoffed next to her. "Wedding? Seriously?"

"Yeah," a young man confirmed. "We've had eight so far this week."

"Who the hell gets caught in the middle of the apocalypse and thinks it would be a good time to get married?" Amy said quietly, so only Sam and Dean heard.

"Probably desperate or something," Dean muttered back.

The wedding finished, and the new husband and wife walked back down the aisle together. They walked out the church doors as a small group of people threw rose petals over them and cheered.

Amy stood next to Sam and Dean as they watched the scene in mild disbelief.

The pastor that performed the wedding approached them. "So Rob tells me you guys hunt demons."

"Uh…" Sam cleared his throat, "yes, sir."

Amy nodded in agreement. Glancing down, she noticed a gun strapped to the back of the pastor's leg.

"You missed a few."

"Yeah." Sam chuckled. "Tell us about it. Any idea why they're here?"

The pastor shook his head. "They sure seem to like us, though. Follow me." He turned back to the church, gesturing for the hunters to follow him.

"I'm sorry," Sam spoke, "but uh, what was your name?"

"David Gideon," the pastor replied. He led the hunters down a flight of stairs towards the basement.

"So you're a preacher?" Dean asked as they headed down.

"Not what you expected, huh?" David asked.

Amy shook her head. "Honestly, based on the stuff that's I've seen, this doesn't surprise me all that much."

"Yeah, dude, you're packing," Dean added.

David shrugged. "Strange times." He opened a pair of double doors to reveal a large room with several tables.

Amy looked around as they walked between a row of tables. A few people were sitting at each one, packing what appeared to be salt rounds.

"Is that a twelve-year-old packing salt rounds?" Dean asked, voicing Amy's thoughts.

"Everybody pitches in," David said. He led them further into the room.

"So, the whole church?" Sam asked.

"The whole town," David corrected.

"A whole town full of hunters." Dean laughed in amusement. "I don't know whether to run screaming or buy a condo."

David shrugged. "Well, the demons were killing us. We had to do something."

"So why not call the National Guard?" Sam asked.

"We were told not to."

"By who?"

David didn't answer. He looked back at Sam and Amy noticed he looked a little nervous.

"Come on, Padre," Dean said. "You're as locked and loaded as we've ever seen. And that exorcism was Enochian. Someone's telling you something."

"Look, I'm sorry, I, uh, I can't discuss it."

"Dad, it's okay."

Amy turned to see a teenage girl with long, wavy hair turn from one of the tables. She was wearing a grey sweater and a blue blouse with white polka dots on it.

"Leah—" David began to protest.

"It's Sam and Dean Winchester," Leah said, "and Amelia Jones. They're safe. I know all about them."

Amy frowned. "You do?"

Leah nodded. "Sure. From the angels."

"The angels," Dean muttered bitterly. "Awesome."

"Don't worry," Leah assured him. "They can't see you here. The…marks on your ribs, right?" She touched her lower ribs in emphasis.

Sam looked at the girl in confusion. "So you know all about us because angels told you?"

"Yes. Among other things."

"Like the snappy little exorcism spell," Dean said.

Leah nodded. "And they show me where the demons are going to be before it happens. How to fight back."

David put a hand on Leah's shoulder. "Never been wrong. Not once. She's very special."

Leah blushed. "Dad…"

"And let me guess," Dean added. "Before you see something, you get a really bad migraine, you see flashing lights?"

Leah paused. "How'd you know?" she asked slowly.

"'Cause, you're not the first prophet we've met. But you are the cutest."

Leah blushed as Dean grinned at her.

"I mean that with total respect, of course," Dean added as David shot him a look.

"We should, uh, probably go find a motel to check into," Amy spoke. "It looks like we're gonna be sticking around for a while."

Dean took his gaze off of Leah and turned to David. "Uh, right, yeah, we should probably get going."

David nodded. "There's a motel down the street you guys can stay in."

"Thank you," Amy said.

"Thanks," Sam spoke at the same time.

* * *

They checked into the Green Valley motel a few blocks from the church and then headed back towards the church, stopping at Paul's Tavern to get a drink.

Sam stepped away from the table to call Cas and update him on the situation.

After a few minutes, Sam hung up the phone. He turned to a man clearing tables and began talking to him.

"Hey Ames, can I ask you something real quick?" Dean asked.

Amy nodded. "Yeah, what's up?"

"Have you told Sam what you told me yet?" Dean asked. At Amy's confused look, he added. "You know, when we were in heaven?"

Amy suddenly understood what Dean meant. "No, I haven't really had the time to, yet. I might tell him later tonight though."

Dean nodded in understanding. He looked up, past Amy's shoulder as Sam approached the table. "So, did you get a hold of Cas?"

Sam sat at the table and handed Dean a beer. "Yeah, I left him a message." He frowned. "I think. So uh, what's your theory? Why all of the demon hits?"

Dean took a sip of his beer. "I don't know. Gank the girl? The prophet, maybe?"

"Why though?" Amy asked. "She's just a girl. We don't even know if she's a prophet."

Sam shook his head. "Just these angels are sending these people to do their dirty work."

"Yeah." Dean shrugged. "And?"

"And they could get ripped to shreds," Sam added.

"We're all gonna die, Sam," Dean said. "In like a month—maybe two. I mean it. This is the end of the world, but these people aren't freaking out. In fact, they're running to the exit in an orderly fashion. I don't know that that's such a bad thing."

Sam nodded slowly as Dean took another sip of his beer. "Who says they're all gonna die? What ever happened to us saving them?"

Before Dean could answer, the church bells began tolling. The hunters watched as everyone in the tavern began to exit.

"What the hell?" Amy muttered.

"Something I said?" Dean joked.

Sam stopped the man he had been talking to earlier. "Paul. What's going on?"

"Leah's had another vision," Paul explained.

Sam turned to Dean. "Wanna go to church?"

Dean smirked. "You know me—downright pious." He finished off his beer and stood up, following the crowd back outside.

They got back into the Impala and drove back to the church. When they arrived, the hunters followed the crowd inside and stood towards the back.

Leah and David stood in at the front of the church. She whispered something in her father's ear and he turned to address everyone.

"Three miles off Talmadge Road," David announced to everyone.

Leah whispered something else.

"Five miles," David continued. "There are demons gathered. I…don't know how many, but a lot. Thank you, Leah. So, who's going to join me?"

"Wouldn't miss it," Rob declared.

Paul raised a hand. "Someone's got to cover Rob's ass."

Dean held a hand up as well. "We're in, Padre."

Amy nodded in agreement.

"Thank you." David nodded. "I'd like to offer a prayer." He closed his eyes. "Our Father in Heaven-"

"Yeah, not so much," Dean muttered.

Amy let out a light scoff. She had never been religious growing up but even now when she knew God himself and even had the guy's phone number, the idea of praying just felt weird to her.

"Help us to fight in your name," David continued. "We ask that you protect us from all servants of evil. Guide our hands in defeating them, and deliver us home, safely. Thank you, Amen."

* * *

A short while later, Amy found herself creeping through the woods with a small group. Rob led Dean, Sam, Amy, a teenage boy Dylan, and his wife Jane through the trees. Further to the side were two more hunters that Amy didn't know the names of yet.

They crouched down, out of sight as an old house came into view. Rob quietly gestured for them to approach the house and they hurried over, keeping low to stay out of sight.

Amy followed Dean and Dylan towards a nearby shed as Sam went with Rob and Jane to the front of the house. They approached an open door and Dean quickly looked inside, pointing his shotgun into the dark, before turning away. It was empty.

They quietly went back to the house, keeping an eye out for any demons who might give away their position.

Finally rejoining the others on the front porch, Dean approached a dirty window on one side. He nodded towards the window on the other side of the porch and Amy went over to it, passing Sam as he worked on picking the lock.

As Amy approached the window, she heard a surprised yell and spun around to see Dean being pinned to the wall by a man. She grabbed her shotgun and started to run over, but Dylan was faster.

Dylan fired his shotgun into the demon, and it dropped onto the porch. He yelled out the Enochian exorcism and black smoke flew out of the man's mouth.

Another demon pulled Rob through another window and Amy quickly ran inside the house with Sam.

Inside, the demon that had grabbed Rob had him hoisted up by his shirt collar. Sam quickly stabbed the demon with Ruby's knife in the back and it dropped dead on the ground, releasing Rob.

The hunters moved through the house, shooting, stabbing, and exorcising every demon they came across. Finally, the last demon dropped dead.

"Is that all of them?" Amy asked as she checked her ammo.

"I think so," Rob said. "Do a quick sweep, make sure we didn't miss any of them," he ordered.

Amy went upstairs with Sam and Dean while the others checked the first floor. They went through every room, checking every place a demon might be hiding, but didn't find anything.

Sam led them back downstairs. "All clear," he told Rob.

Rob nodded. "Let's get back to town, then." He opened the front door and led everyone outside.

"I guess that's what it's like, huh?" Sam asked quietly as they walked behind everyone.

"What?" Dean asked.

"Having backup."

Amy smiled slightly. "I'll admit, it was actually kinda nice having all that backup. Especially with that many demons."

"Yeah." Dean smiled as well. They stopped by the Impala and threw their weapons into the trunk.

"Dean," Amy heard Dylan call out. "Sam, Amy."

Dean turned his attention behind Amy and nodded. "Yo."

Amy turned as Dylan stopped next to her.

"Hey. So, um, is—is that—is that cool that I get a ride back with you guys?" Dylan asked, slightly out of breath.

Dean chuckled. He waved to the firetruck and it drove off. "Hey, you've saved my ass twice already. One more time, you can drive."

Sam walked over to the cooler and pulled out a beer, handing it to Dean.

Dean walked over and pulled out another beer. He waited until the fire truck was out of sight, before tossing it over the Impala to Dylan. "Hey, you earned it. Don't tell your mom."

Dylan chuckled. "Oh, believe me—I will not." He cracked open the beer and took a sip.

Amy shook her head in amusement and turned away, only to quickly turn back around when she heard a loud scream.

"Dylan!"

Amy watched in horror as the teen was pulled underneath the car. She ran over, dropping down to grab the teen's hands and pull him out.

On the other side of the car, Sam pulled a demon out from under and stabbed it with the knife. Dean helped Amy pull Dylan out, but it was too late. The teen's throat had been slit. He was dead.

"No," Amy whispered. Her shoulders dropped as Dean held Dylan's body in his arms.

They quietly picked Dylan's body up and put it into the backseat before getting in and driving back to the church.

* * *

They arrived at the church a short while later. They got out of the car and Sam got Dylan's body out of the backseat. He turned around just as Jane and Rob stepped outside to see their son dead in Sam's arms.

Amy hung her head as Jane began to sob. David came outside with Leah, and soon, a small group had formed outside. A few members went to get a casket as Jane began to sob harder, eventually dropping to the ground as Rob comforted her.

The funeral was set up rather quickly. Dylan was placed inside the casket and walked down the aisle by four people.

Sam, Dean, and Amy stood at the doorway, watching the casket get placed down. They turned as Rob and Jane approached the entrance, still crying over the death of their son.

"Ma'am, we're just, um, very sorry," Dean said quietly.

Jane glared at Dean. "You know…this is your fault."

Rob put his arm around his wife. "Jane. Come on."

Once everyone was inside, David turned to address the crowd.

"wish I knew what to say," the pastor began. "But I don't." He turned to Jane and Rob. "I'm so sorry, Jane, Rob. There are no words. Dylan… I don't know why this happened. I don't know why any of this is happening. I got no easy answers. But what I do know is—"

David suddenly stopped talking as Leah passed out and fell to the ground. "Leah, honey?"

The crowd stood up as Leah began to have a seizure on the ground.

David quickly hurried over to his daughter. "Leah, honey? Honey? It's okay sweetie. It's okay."

Leah suddenly gasped and sat up as her dad held her hand. "Dad, it's Dylan," she said through gasps.

David nodded. "Just rest a minute, huh?"

Leah shook her head. "No, listen. Dylan's coming back."

"Jeez," Amy heard Rob say.

David helped his daughter up, and she stood at the front, addressing the couple sitting at the front.

"Jane, Rob… It's going to be okay," Leah began. "You'll see Dylan again. When the final day comes, Judgement Day, he'll be resurrected and you'll be together again."

Leah smiled as she turned to the others. "We'll all be together. With all our loved ones. We've been chosen. The angels have chosen us. And we will be given paradise on earth. All we have to do is follow the angels' commandments."

"What do we have to do?" a man asked.

"All bars are to be closed," Leah explained. "We aren't allowed to gamble anymore, and no premarital sex either. We will also need to implement a curfew of eight and reduce all contact with the outside world. That includes cell phones, internet, and television." She smiled. "If we do all of that, starting now, we will have paradise."

The crowd began to argue loudly in a mix of agreement and disagreement.

Amy scoffed. "Well I shouldn't have too much of a problem with that third one," she joked.

"Please!" Leah shouted over the crowd. "I know this is a lot, but it will all be worth it in the end."

Sam led them out of the church. "No drinking, no gambling, no premarital sex," he listed off. "Dean, they basically just outlawed ninety percent of your personality."

Dean sighed. "Yeah, well, whatever. When in Rome."

"I was expecting a bigger reaction from you about that," Amy said.

"So, uh…you're cool with it?" Sam asked.

Dean shrugged. "I'm not cool. I'm not, not cool. I'm just, look man, I'm not a prophet. We're not locals. It's not my call." He paused for a moment before clicking his tongue. "I'll catch up with you."

Sam and Amy watched as Dean walked away.

"Here," Sam said. He pulled out the keys to the motel and handed them to Amy. "I'm heading to the Tavern. Meet you back at the motel in a bit."

Amy nodded and took the keys. She headed off in the opposite direction from Sam, toward the motel.

* * *

**Green Valley Motel**

Amy unlocked the door to their motel room and stepped inside, closing the door behind her. She grabbed the TV remote, hoping to get at least one episode of a show in before services were cut.

Settling on the first show she and across, though she didn't know what the show was, Amy tossed the remote aside and lay down on the bed.

Pretty soon, the TV screen became filled with static and wavy lines. It reminded Amy of the old TV at the orphanage. She sighed and grabbed the remote again, turning the TV back off.

Sam and Dean still weren't back. Amy pulled out her phone to call them, only to be greeted with text at the top of her screen that said "no signal." They were officially cut off from the outside world.

Deciding to take a shower before Sam and Dean got back, Amy grabbed her duffel bag and headed into the bathroom. She took a quick, hot shower and got out before drying off and putting on a pair of sweatpants and loose t-shirt.

After pulling her hair into a braid, she grabbed her bag and headed back out where Dean was waiting.

"Hey," Amy said as she dropped her bag on the bed. "Where'd you go?"

"Went to talk to Leah," Dean explained as he sat down at the table. "Asked her to tell me what the angels were telling her."

Amy sat on the bed. "Did she?"

Dean nodded. "Yeah, she said that the uh, the angels said there'd be a war that we'd win." He cleared his throat before continuing. "But after that, paradise or whatever."

Amy scoffed. "You don't actually believe that do you?"

Dean leaned forward in his chair. "I don't know. I mean, if Leah is a prophet-"

Amy cut the hunter off. "That's just it, we don't know if she is a prophet or not."

Dean frowned. "She acts pretty much the same way Chuck does."

"Exactly." Amy stood up. "But, if I'm remembering this correctly, in a later season of the show, it's revealed that there can only be one prophet at a time. So, unless Chuck is dead…"

"Then Leah might be lying about this whole thing," Dean realized.

"Again, I don't know for sure," Amy repeated. "I might be remembering this all wrong."

"But it's something to go off of."

"That's what I was thinking."

There was a bit of silence before Dean spoke again. "Hey, Ames, can I ask you something?"

"What's up, Dean-o?"

"About what you told me when we were in heaven-"

"I still haven't gotten around to telling Sam, if that's what you were gonna ask," Amy interrupted.

Dean shook his head. "No, no, that's not it. It's just we had a lot going on up there and I never got a chance to tell you that I don't actually know what… what was it again? Aro-"

"Aromantic and asexual," Amy said. "And, it's okay. Not a lot of people know what they are anyway. I didn't even first hear those terms until a couple months before you guys."

"So what do they mean?"

"Aromantic basically means that person has little or no desire for a romantic relationship," Amy explained. "And asexual is kind of the same thing, except it means that person has little or no desire for a sexual relationship. Not all aromantic people are asexual and not all asexual people are aromantic, but there are some people who are both."

"So, you just, don't want to date anyone?" Dean asked.

"Well, I don't," Amy said. "I've never been in a relationship, never had a crush on anyone, and that doesn't really bother me. I'm honestly fine staying single my entire life." She shrugged. "But aromantics do date, and even get married sometimes. I had a friend whose dad came out as aromantic to his wife, which was actually how I first learned about the term. Until then, I thought there was something wrong with me."

Dean stood up and walked over to the cooler, pulling out a beer. He leaned against the counter and opened the can. "Huh." He took a sip of the beer. "Thanks."

"For what?"

"Explaining that all to me," Dean clarified.

"No problem."

* * *

About five minutes later, there was a knock on the door. Amy hurried over and opened it up to reveal Sam, who stumbled inside.

"Where you been?" Dean asked his brother. He had moved over to the bed and was now lying on it with his eyes closed.

Sam let out a small laugh. "Drinkin'."

Dean smirked. "You rebel."

Sam chuckled. "I'd have had more, um, but it was curfew."

"TV got shut off while you guys were gone," Amy said. "Phones did too, and I'm guessing the internet as well, but I wasn't online when we lost everything else."

Sam nodded. "Yeah. No cable, internet. Total cut off from the 'corruption of the outside world'," he said scathingly, adding air quotes.

"Awesome," Amy muttered.

Dean nodded. "Huh."

Amy frowned at Dean's reaction. He was either taking this better than she thought, or he just didn't care.

"Don't you get it?" Sam asked. "They're turning this place into some kind of fundamentalist compound."

"No, I get it."

"And all you've got's a "hmm?" Sam asked. "What's wrong with you?"

"I get it. I just don't care."

"What?" Sam asked.

"Don't care?" Amy added.

Dean sat up on the edge of the bed. "What difference does it make?"

"It makes a hell of a—" Sam cut himself off. "At what point does this become too far for you?" he snapped. "Stoning? Poisoned Kool-Aid? The angels are toying with these people!"

Dean sighed. "Angel world, angel rules, man."

Sam sat down on the other bed, across from Dean. "And since when is that okay with you?"

"Since the angels' got the only lifeboats on the Titanic," Dean said. He stood up and walked over to the coffee pot to pour himself a cup. "I mean, who exactly is supposed to come along and save these people? It was supposed to be us, but we can't do it."

"So what?" Sam asked. "You wanna, you wanna just want to stop fighting, roll over?"

"Dean, it's like I said earlier," Amy spoke from the table she was sitting at. "We don't even know if Leah really is a prophet."

Dean shrugged. "I don't know, maybe she is, maybe she isn't." He took a sip of his coffee.

Sam scoffed. "Don't say that."

"Why not?"

"Cause you can't do this," Sam said, not even looking at his brother.

"Actually, I can," Dean insisted.

Sam stood up, turning towards his brother. "No you can't. You can't do this to me."

There was a pause before Sam continued. "I got one thing, one thing, keeping me going," he continued quietly. "You think you're the only one white-knuckling it here, Dean? I can't count on anyone else. I can't do this alone."

Dean didn't say anything. He turned and put his coffee mug on the table behind him before walking towards the door.

"Dean," Sam tried to stop him from walking out.

"I got to clear my head," Dean said. He grabbed his jacket and walked out the door.

"It's past curfew," Sam said as Dean stepped through the open door. The door closed behind Dean and Sam turned away. "It's past curfew," he repeated quietly.

"Don't worry, Sam," Amy reassured him. "We'll find a way to save these people. I'm sure of it."

Sam nodded. "I hope you're right." He sat down on the bed.

Amy let out a heavy sigh and leaned forward, her face in her hands.

"I got your message."

Amy looked up to see Castiel leaning on the room divider. He looked unstable, as if he had been hurt.

"It was long, your message," the angel continued. As he spoke, Amy noticed that he was slurring his words. "And I find the sound of your voice grating."

"What's wrong with you?" Sam asked. "Are you…drunk?"

"No!" Cas snapped. He straightened up, swaying slightly. "Yes," he finally admitted.

"I didn't even know angels could get drunk," Amy mused.

"What the hell happened to you?" Sam asked.

Cas leaned his head on the iron divider. "I found a liquor store," he said quietly.

Sam raised an eyebrow. "And?"

"And I drank it." Cas stepped forward unsteadily. "Why'd you call me?"

"Whoa." Sam reached out, catching Cas to steady him. "There you go. Easy. Are you okay?"

Cas leaned forward until his mouth was right next to Sam's ear. "Don't ask stupid questions," he slurred. He leaned against the bed "Tell me what you need."

Amy was trying to hold back laughter at Castiel's drunk antics. Sam shot her a look and she snickered slightly before calming down.

Sam turned to Cas. "T-there have been these—these demon attacks," he explained. "Massive, right on the edge of town. And we can't figure out why they're—"

"Any sign of angels?" Cas interrupted.

"We haven't seen any," Amy said.

"But they've been speaking to this prophet," Sam added.

"Who?"

"This girl, Leah Gideon."

"She's not a prophet."

"I'm pretty sure she is," Sam insisted. "Visions, headaches—the whole package."

Cas leaned back, looking up towards the ceiling. "The names of _all_ the prophets, they're seared into my brain." He turned to Sam. "Leah Gideon is not one of them."

"So I was right?" Amy asked. "Leah's faking this whole thing?"

"Yes, you were…" Castiel paused for a moment as he swayed on the spot a bit. Steadying himself, he continued, "right."

"Well, if Leah's not a prophet, then what is she?" Sam asked.

"I uh, I can't remember," Cas admitted.

"You can't remember?" Sam asked.

"Yes, I uh, can't seem to remember much right now."

"I think that's the alcohol talking," Amy told Sam. "We might have better luck when he's sober again."

Sam sighted. "Yeah, you might be right."

Amy glanced at the clock. It was just after ten. "Should we go out and look for Dean?" she asked. "I'm getting kinda worried."

"He should be back by now," Sam agreed. He stood up and grabbed his jacket. "Come on."

"Cas, you wanna come?" Amy turned to the angel, only to find him lying on the bed with his eyes closed. "Never mind." She grabbed her jacket as well and turned to Sam.

"Ready?"

Amy nodded. "Let's go." She grabbed the room key and headed outside with Sam.

* * *

Sam and Amy searched for Dean for a few hours, but eventually had to give up and call it a night when it got too late. They headed back to the motel room and let themselves in to find Cas still asleep on the bed.

"Damn, he's really out," Amy said quietly.

Sam shut the door behind him. "Yeah." He chuckled slightly. "I'm not surprised, though, given how drunk he was."

Amy chuckled as well. "He must have had a lot to drink if it was enough to get him that drunk." She took off her jacket and threw it over the back of a chair. "I think I'm gonna call it a night. It's getting late."

Sam nodded. "I'll stay up," he offered, "in case Dean comes back."

Amy stretched her arms. "Sounds good." She climbed into the empty bed. "Night, Sam."

"Night, Ames."

* * *

**March 17th, 2010 - Green Valley Motel**

Amy was woken up the next morning as Dean opened the door, finally returning from wherever he had been.

"Dean?" she muttered sleepily as she sat up.

"We went out looking for-" Sam stopped himself as he noticed something. "You alright?"

Amy quickly got to her feet. Dean's hands were covered in blood.

"Yeah. It's—it's not my blood." Dean looked down. "Paul's dead."

"What?!" Sam asked in shock.

"Oh my god," Amy whispered.

"Jane shot him," Dean continued loudly.

"It's starting." Cas said from the couch.

"What's starting?" Dean looked over at the angel, noticing him for the first time. "Where the hell have you been?"

"On a bender," Cas muttered sarcastically.

Dean looked surprised. He looked over at Sam. "Did he—did you say 'on a bender'?"

"Yeah." Sam scoffed. "He's still pretty smashed."

Cas held up a hand. "It is not of import," he said gruffly. "We need to talk about what's happening here."

"Well I'm all ears." Dean walked over to sink to wash the blood off his hands.

"Well, for starters," Sam began as he sat on the couch next to Cas, "Leah is not a real prophet."

"Yeah, turns out I was right." Amy chuckled slightly.

Dean turned off the faucet and shook the water off his hands. He turned back to Sam, frowning. LWell, what is she, exactly?"

"The whore," Cas said bluntly.

Dean looked down at the angel. "Wow. Cas, tell us what you really think."

"She rises when Lucifer walks the earth," Cas continued. He pointed to a page of the book he had been reading. "And she shall come, bearing false prophecy," he read aloud.

Cas pointed to a medieval picture of a woman riding a dragon that had seven heads. "This creature has the power to take a human's form, read minds. Book of Revelation calls her 'the Whore of Babylon'."

Deansat down on the vacant chair next to the table, drying his hands with a towel. "Well, that's catchy," he finally said.

"The real Leah was probably killed months ago," Sam said.

"What about the demons attacking the town?" Dean asked.

"They're under her control."

Dean frowned. "And the Enochian exorcism?"

"Fake. It actually means, 'you, um, breed with the mouth of a goat'." Cas smiled as he waited for a reaction.

Amy exchanged a glance with Sam and Dean, then turned back to Cas and shrugged.

"It's funnier in Enochian," Cas explained.

"So the demons smoking out—that's just a con?" Dean asked. "Why? What's the endgame?"

Cas shrugged. "What you just saw," he said. "Innocent blood spilled in God's name."

"You heard all that heaven talk," Sam said. "She manipulates people."

"To slaughter and kill and sing preppy little hymns." Dean stood back up, tossing the towel into the sink. "Awesome."

"Her goal is to condemn as many souls to hell as possible," Cas continued. "And it's…just beginning. She's well on her way to dragging this whole town into the pit."

"And I'm guessing she won't stop with just this town," Amy added. "She'll keep moving."

"Alright." Dean nodded. "So, then, how do we go Pimp of Babylon all over this bitch?"

Instead of answering, Cas vanished, leaving the hunters alone in the room once more.

Amy threw her hands up in defeat. "Great," she muttered. "Who knows where he's gone off to."

* * *

By that afternoon, there was still no sign of Castiel. Sam, Dean, and Amy hung around the motel for the day.

While they were waiting, Amy told Sam what she had told Dean in heaven. She hadn't thought it was a big deal, him being in on what Dean knew, but figured it would just be better to tell him. After a bit of explaining, Sam told her he was okay with that, and he was glad she had told him.

A couple hours later, Cas reappeared and set a wooden stake on the table in front of them. "The whore can be killed with that," he explained. "It's a stake made from a cypress tree in Babylon."

Dean picked up the stake to examine it. "Great. Let's ventilate her."

"It's not that easy," Cas admitted. He walked over to the sink to get a glass of water.

"'Course not," Dean muttered.

"How come?" Amy asked.

"The whore can only be killed by a true Servant of Heaven," Cas said.

"Servant, like…" Dean trailed off.

"Not you, Amy, or me," Cas finished Dean's thought. "Sam, of course, is an abomination. We'll have to find someone else." He leaned against the counter to drink his water.

"What about the pastor?" Sam asked. "I mean, that's about as close to a servant of heaven you can get, I think."

Cas nodded. "How do you propose we get him here?"

Amy shrugged. "Tell him the truth?"

When Sam and Dean shot her a look, Amy added, "I don't mean about monsters. Just, about you being an angel. It's what the whole town's been focused on this past couple weeks, so it shouldn't be too hard to convince him."

"Yeah," Sam agreed. "It's worth a shot, anyway."

Cas nodded then, without a word, vanished once again.

Amy sighed. "Let's hope he finds Pastor Gideon quickly."

They didn't have to wait long before a flutter of wings announced Castiel's presence in the room again. Amy turned to see him standing with David Gideon at his side.

David looked around, eyes wide. "What the hell was that?"

"Yeah, he wasn't lying about the angel thing." Dean gestured to a vacant chair. "Have a seat, Padre. We got to have a chat."

David sat down. "What's going on?"

"Well, for starters," Dean began, "I hate to break it to you but the Leah out there is not your daughter."

David let out a shaky breath. "What?"

"It's a creature called the whore of Babylon," Amy continued. "Have you heard of it?"

David nodded slowly. "I've read about it a lot this past few weeks."

"Listen, Padre," Dean continued. "The demons are playing you. That exorcism is fake. They're all being controlled by Leah. I mean, come on, you saw what Jane did. She's dragging this entire town to hell."

"So what does this have to do with me?"

"Only a true Servant of Heaven can kill this thing," Amy explained. "And I hate to tell you this, but that person is you."

David looked down at the wooden stake and shook his head. "No." He cleared his throat. "She's my daughter."

"I'm sorry, but she's not," Dean said apologetically. "She's the thing that killed your daughter."

"That's impossible."

"But it's true," Sam said quietly. "And deep down, you know it. Look, we get it—it's too much. But if you don't do this, she's going to kill a lot of people. And damn the rest to hell."

"It's just…" David stopped as Dean held out the stake to him. "Why does it have to be me?" he finished.

"You're a Servant of Heaven," Cas explained. He was leaning back on the room divider behind the Pastor.

"And you're an angel," David snapped back.

"Poor example of one," Cas countered.

David turned back to the three hunters. He let out a shaky breath before reluctantly nodding. "Okay," he whispered. "I-I'll do it."

Dean held out the stake again and Pastor Gideon took it, not taking his eyes off the ground.

"Do you know where Leah is right now?" Amy asked.

"She usually hangs out in my office," David said.

Dean nodded. "Then that's our best option right now." He grabbed the keys to the Impala. " Cas come with me real quick. I got something for you." With that, he left.

Cas began to walk out of the room behind Dean. Amy couldn't help but notice that he was walking extremely slowly while holding his head. She hurried over and helped steady him while they walked outside together.

As soon as they were outside, the angel sat down on the bench. He put his head in his hands and let out an occasional pained groan.

"Cas?" Amy asked, concern in her voice. She sat on the bench, next to him. "You okay, man?"

Cas shook his head. "My head feels like it's on fire."

Dean closed the trunk and walked back over to them. He tossed Cas a pill bottle. "Heads up."

Cas caught the bottle and studied it. Amy noticed it was a bottle of Advil.

"How many should I take?" Cas asked.

"You?" Dean leaned against the Impala. "You should probably just down the whole bottle."

Cas studied the bottle a bit longer. "Thanks," he finally said.

Amy rubbed the angel's back.

"Don't mention it," Dean said. "Yeah, I've been there. I'm a big expert on deadbeat dads so…" he trailed off. "Yeah, I get it. I know how you feel."

There was a long pause as Cas stared off in the distance. "How do you manage it?" he finally asked.

"On a good day, you get to kill a whore," Dean said half jokingly.

Amy smirked slightly. Leave it to Dean to make a joke out of the situation. She stood up from the bench. "Don't worry, Cas. You'll get through this," she promised. She turned to Dean. "Want me to go get Sam and Gideon?"

Dean nodded. "Yeah, we should probably get going."

Amy nodded back, then headed inside the room. "Hey," she said to the two people sitting inside. "Dean says it's time to go."

Sam and David stood up. "Alright." Sam handed Gideon the stake. "Let's go."

David took the stake with a shaky hand. He gave Sam a tiny, visibly shaky, smile. "Okay."

They headed out to the Impala. Amy sat in the backseat, next to David, as Dean drove them to the church.

* * *

When they arrived at the church, David led them inside. The pews were empty, leading Amy to believe everyone was in the basement.

David led them into his office, which Amy found to be empty as well.

"And you're sure she'll come here?" Dean asked.

David nodded. "She always does."

"We should hide," Sam said.

Everyone crouched down, behind chairs, as they waited for Leah to walk in.

They didn't have to wait very long, it turned out. Within five minutes, Leah stepped into the office. She walked up to the mirror and Amy saw her face twist and morph into something inhuman, before returning to normal.

Leah closed the mirror to find Castiel standing directly behind it. She let out a gasp as the angel grabbed her arms, pinning them behind her back.

David jumped out, stake raised high as Castiel spun Leah around. He hesitated slightly as he looked at his fake daughter's face.

"Daddy! Don't hurt me!" Leah pleaded.

"Gideon, now!" Sam shouted.

Leah quickly turned her head towards Cas. " _Pizen noco iad."_

Castiel groaned in pain as Leah placed a spell on him. As he did, he released Leah's arms and she held up her hands, using telekinesis to push everyone away.

Amy hit the wall across the room and slid to the floor. As everyone got up, Leah took the opportunity to run out of the room.

"Gideon!" Sam called. Amy quickly looked up to see David running after Leah with the stake in his hand. "Wait! No!l

The hunters quickly ran out of the room, leaving Cas groaning on the ground. They ran down to the basement after Gideon as fast as they could.

When they reached the basement, they found David on the ground, getting beaten up by the other town members. The stake was on the ground, just out of his reach.

Sam ran up and kicked one of the townspeople away. Another one stood up and punched him in the face, knocking him back.

Dean threw a punch at a third townsperson, knocking him into a glass table.

Amy ducked as a punch was thrown directly at her face. She dodged underneath a man's fist, ending up just behind him and catching him off guard. Holding out a hand, she used her own powers to push him away.

"Come on, come on!" Dean said quickly as he helped David to his feet.

Sam and Amy quickly ran over to the storage room, where the people Leah had deemed sinners were begging to be let out.

Sam tackled Rob, slamming him into the wall before he could light the kerosene. Rob dropped the lighter as Sam did, and Amy quickly picked it up and threw it across the room. Jane attacked Sam from behind, but he easily threw her off.

On the other side of the room, Leah used her powers to knock down Dean. She got on top of him and put her hands around her throat.

Amy noticed Dean reaching for the stake, but it was just out of his reach.

Leah laughed. "Please. Like you're a servant of Heaven."

Using her powers, Amy slid the stake closer to Dean, so he could grab it. He quickly looked over at her and she gave him a nod.

Dean grabbed the stake in his hand and punched Leah across the face. In the split second that she was looking away, Dean drove the stake into the whore of Babylon's chest.

"Don't be so sure, whore." Dean drove the stake further in. He pushed Leah off of him and she fell to the ground.

Leah's face began to twist and morph as her whole body shook. Dean drove the stake even further in and the entry wound began to smoke.

Next to her, Sam released Jane as they watched the scene unfold. The stake burst into flames before exploding, leaving a burning hole in its place. Leah's head slumped over, the life fading from her eyes.

"But…I don't understand," Jane said. Her voice was small and scared. "How are we supposed to get to paradise now?"

"I'm sorry," Dean told her. "Pretty sure you're headed in a different direction."

Amy heard David let out a groan. She looked over to see him attempting to stand up.

Hurrying over to the pastor with Sam, Amy helped the man up.

"Gotcha," Sam said as he steadied David on his feet. He had a bleeding cut on the side of his head from where one of the townspeople had punched him.

"Come on," Dean said quietly.

"Wait, where's Cas?" Amy asked.

Dean looked around, not seeing the angel anywhere. He turned to Amy. "Check the office."

Amy nodded. She ran out of the room and hurried back into Pastor Gideon's office. Cas was still lying on the floor, letting out an occasional groan of pain.

"Cas!" Amy hurried over to the angel, dropping to her knees next to him. She turned to the open door. "He's in here!"

Within a moment, Dean hurried into the room. "Cas!" He put one of the angel's arms over his shoulder.

Amy did the same with the other arm and the two of them helped Castiel get to his feet.

"I got him," Dean said as Cas leaned on him.

"You sure?" Amy asked.

Dean nodded. "Yeah, don't worry."

Amy followed Dean and Cas out of the office. They met back up with Sam and Gideon before heading back outside.

Sam and Dean helped Gideon and Cas walk up the stairs from the basement. Amy walked behind them in case something happened.

"Dean, how did you do that?" Sam finally asked.

"What?" Dean glanced back over his shoulder.

"Kill her."

"Long run of luck held out, I guess." Dean grunted as Cas staggered.

Sam helped Gideon straighten up as he stumbled a bit. "Last I checked, she could only be ganked by a servant of Heaven."

"Well, what do you want me to tell you?" Dean asked. "I saw a shot. I went for it."

"The important thing is that she's dead," Amy added.

They stopped at the Impala. Amy slid into the middle while Sam and Dean placed David and Cas in the seat on either side of her.

The Winchesters closed the car doors and Amy had to strain to hear what they were saying.

"Are you gonna do something stupid?" Sam asked.

"Like what?"

"Like Michael stupid," Sam snapped.

"Come on, Sam. Give me a break." Dean opened the driver's door and got in. After a moment, Sam got in after him and they drove off to the motel.

* * *

When they got to the motel, Sam and Dean helped David and Cas out once more. Amy took the keys from Sam and ran ahead of them to unlock the door and hold it open for them.

As soon as they were inside, Sam sat David down at the table and Dean lay Cas on the bed.

Amy grabbed the first-aid kit and handed it to Sam, who took out an ice pack and bandages. He gave David a bottle of Advil and the pastor tossed a couple into his mouth.

David took the ice pack and held it against his head as Sam wrapped his arm up.

Dean walked up to them. "How's the head?"

"I'm seeing double." David groaned. "But that may be the painkillers."

"You'll be okay," Dean assured the man.

"No."

There was a long moment of silence. Amy sat down on the edge of the bed and hung her head. It couldn't have been easy for David to learn that his daughter had been dead for weeks, and then watch something that looked like her be killed before his eyes.

Amy heard a small shuffle and looked up to see Dean heading towards the door.

"Where you going?" Sam asked.

Dean looked back at him. "I'm just gonna grab some clean bandages out of the trunk," he said. "Relax." With that, he walked out of the room.

Sam finished bandaging up David's arm. "There. How's that?"

The familiar rev of the Impala could be heard outside. Without wasting a second, Sam and Amy ran outside to see Dean speeding away in the Imala.

"Damn it!" Sam hissed. He ran after his brother with Amy close behind. "Dean! _Dean!_ "

"Dean!" Amy shouted. She came to a stop next to Sam as they watched the Impala turn the corner and drive out of view.


	53. Point of No Return

**March 19th, 2010 - Cicero, Indiana**

"Do you even know where we're going?" Amy asked for the third time since the night before. "We've been driving for over a day."

"Trust me." Sam gripped the steering wheel of their stolen truck tighter. "I know exactly where he is."

Amy read a sign as they sped by it. "Cicero?" she asked. "You think he's here?"

Sam nodded. "Dean's got a friend here. Her name is Lisa Braeden."

"Oh, yeah, I know who you're talking about," Amy said thoughtfully. "She's got a son named Ben, right?"

Sam nodded. "Trust me. If Dean's gone anywhere, it'll be to her."

Amy didn't reply. Instead, she turned her head to look out the window at the night sky.

* * *

**Mike's Travel Inn**

Sam drove until they reached the first motel in town. As soon as it was in view, Amy spotted the all-too-familiar black Chevy Impala. She let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding. "He's here," she said in relief.

Sam pulled the truck into the parking lot, right next to the Impala. "Call Cas," he instructed.

Amy pulled out her phone, dialing the angel's number. "Hey, Cas," she said once she was sent to voicemail, "we found Dean. He's in Cicero, Indiana at Mike's Travel Inn."

She closed her phone and followed Sam out of the truck. "How will we know what room he's in?"

Sam pointed up to the second floor, where a single light was turned on. "There." He started running towards the stairs. "Come on!"

Amy hurried after Sam, taking the stairs up two at a time. He led her to the door and crouched down to pick the lock.

Finally, Sam pushed open the door and they walked inside.

Dean was standing in front of a mirror with his back to the door. On the bed, Amy noticed a box that was taped shut and had the name 'Robert Singer' written on the top. Sam and Amy stood next to the room divider as Dean poured himself a glass of whiskey.

As the older Winchester brought the glass to his mouth, Sam spoke. "Sending someone a candy-gram?" he asked dryly.

Dean spun around. He looked between Sam and Amy in shock. "How'd you find me?" he finally asked.

"You're going to kill yourself, right?" Sam asked. He slipped the car keys into his pocket. "It's not too hard to figure out the stops on the Farewell Tour. How's Lisa doing, anyway?"

Dean looked down at the glass. "I'm not going to kill myself."

"No?" Sam asked. "So Michael's not about to make you his Muppet? What the hell, man? This is how it ends? You just…walk out?"

"Yeah, I guess." Dean sounded defeated. He downed his glass, then turned and poured himself another one.

"How could you do that?" Sam was getting angry now.

"How could I?" Dean repeated angrily. "All you've ever done is run away."

"And I was wrong," Sam shouted. "Every single time I did."

Amy could feel her heart ache as Sam let out a long breath. If Cas didn't get here soon, this could turn out bad.

"Just…please," Sam continued, a bit calmer. "Not now. Bobby is working on something."

"Oh, really?" Dean asked. Amy could tell from his tone that he didn't believe Sam. "What?"

Sam looked down, unable to answer his brother.

Dean scoffed. "You got nothing and you know it."

"You know I have to stop you."

Dean set his glass down on top of the box. "Yeah, well, you can try. Just remember, you're not all hopped up on demon blood this time." He balled his fist.

Behind Dean, Cas appeared and Amy saw a look of relief cross Sam's face for a brief second.

"Yeah, I know." Sam nodded behind Dean. "But I brought help."

At Sam's words, Dean turned to see Castiel. The angel placed two fingers on Dean's forehead and he fell to the ground.

"Thanks, Cas," Amy said.

Sam hurried over to Dean and began searching his pockets. He pulled out the car keys, holding them up in relief.

Amy walked over to the box. She pulled out her knife and sliced the blade through the tape. Opening it up, she found Dean's leather jacket, his gun, and a note. She took the jacket and gun, leaving the note behind.

"Cas," Sam said. He pointed down at Dean. "Can you get him?"

Castiel nodded. He bent down and picked up the unconscious hunter like he weighed nothing at all, throwing him over his shoulder.

"Alright," Sam looked around the room. "Is that everything?"

"I think so," Amy said, looking around as well.

Sam led them back out to the Impala and opened the back door. Cas placed Dean across the backseat as Amy got into the passenger side.

"Thanks, Cas," Sam said.

Without a word, Cas vanished once more. Sam walked around to the trunk and opened it up, obscuring Amy's view. After a moment, he closed it back up and walked back to the backseat.

Leaning into the backseat, Amy now saw what Sam had been doing. He took a pair of handcuffs and handcuffed Dean's hands behind his back.

"What's that for?" Amy asked.

"In case he wakes up before we get to Bobby's." Sam closed the back door and got into the driver's seat. He started the engine and pulled out of the parking lot.

* * *

**March 20th, 2010 - Sioux Falls, South Dakota**

They reached Bobby's house early the next morning. Dean was still unconscious when they arrived and Sam carried him into the house.

"Hey, Bobby," Amy greeted as Sam placed Dean on the couch.

Bobby rolled his wheelchair closer and nodded towards Dean. "What happened to him?"

"Cas," Amy said.

"We found him down in Cicero," Sam explained. "Had to call Cas to help get him out of there before he hurt himself."

Amy leaned against the wall. "Did you find out anything, Bobby?"

Bobby grunted in response. "Nothing we didn't already know." He wheeled over to a stack of books and papers on his desk. "Still got all this to go through, though."

Sam and Amy exchanged a glance before reluctantly grabbing a book or paper and sitting down to read.

* * *

A couple hours later, Dean was finally awake, and they still had no useful information. Castiel had reappeared pretty soon after and was currently watching the hunters research.

"Yeah, no, this is good." Dean had been pacing around the study. He folded his arms and leaned against the wall. "Really. You know, eight months of turned pages and screwed pooches but tonight, tonight's when the magic happens."

"You ain't helpin'," Bobby said bitterly.

"Yeah, well, why don't you let me get out of your hair, then?" Dean asked, almost hopefully.

Bobby took his eyes off his book. "What the hell happened to you?" He asked Dean in disbelief.

"Reality happened," Dean snapped. "Nuclear's the only option we have left. Michael can ice the devil, save a boatload of people."

"But not all of them," Bobby argued. "We gotta think of something else."

Amy glanced up from her book as Dean and Bobby argued. She saw Dean's eyes flicker over to hers and quickly turned her attention back to the book.

"Yeah, well, that's easy for you to say," Dean continued. "But if Lucifer burns this mother down, and I coulda done something about it, guess what? That's on me."

"You can't give up, son."

Dean scoffed. "You're not my father. And you ain't in my shoes."

"Dean…" Amy said quietly.

Bobby held up a hand to stop the young girl. He opened the top drawer of his desk and reached inside.

The hunters and Cas watched as Bobby held up his artillery gun. He placed it on the desk in silence, then pulled a bullet out of his pocket and examined it.

"Bobby please don't tell me that's what I think it is," Amy said with a shuddered breath.

"What is that?" Dean asked.

"That's the round that I mean to put through my skull," Bobby said.

Amy let out a quiet sigh and closed her eyes. "Bobby…"

Bobby set the bullet down on the desk, keeping his eyes on it the entire time. "Every morning, I look at it. I think, maybe today's the day I flip the lights out." He turned to Dean. "But I don't do it. I never do it. You know why? Because I promised you I wouldn't give up!" he yelled.

There was a brief moment of silence before Cas suddenly grabbed his head and hunched over in pain.

Amy quickly stood up, her attention now on the angel. She moved closer to him, putting a hand on his shoulder and leaning down to see his face, which was scrunched up in pain.

"Cas?" she asked quietly.

"You okay?" Sam asked.

"No," Cas groaned. He slowly took his hand away from his head and straightened up.

"What's wrong?"

"Something's happening."

"Where?" Dean asked.

Instead of answering, Castiel vanished, causing the papers to blow around the room.

Dean groaned in frustration. "Great."

"Alright, well, I don't know about you all, but I'm hungry," Amy said. "Gonna go make myself something to eat."

Amy made her way to the kitchen and opened the fridge. He didn't have a lot in the way of food, but it was often enough to just get by. She studied the food in the fridge, finally deciding that she didn't want anything from it.

Grabbing the milk from the fridge before closing it, she grabbed a box of cereal and poured herself a bowl. Hopping up onto the counter, she grabbed a spoon and began to eat.

* * *

While Amy was eating, Sam and Dean joined her in the kitchen.

Sam stood in front of the refrigerator door, reading a book. He didn't seem to notice Dean walk up to him.

"I'm gonna get a beer, do you mind?" Amy heard Dean ask.

Sam moved out of the way and Dean opened the fridge. Before he got a chance to close it, there was a strong gust of wind in Bobby's study.

Papers flew around the room and Cas reappeared, carrying what appeared to be an unconscious body that was covered head to toe in dirt.

"Help," Cas called out.

"Boys!" Bobby yelled. "Amy!"

The hunters hurried into the study as Cas lay the person on the cot. As the angel backed away, Amy was able to get a better look at who it was.

"Who is it?" Bobby asked.

"That's our brother," Sam said, voice quiet in disbelief.

"Adam," Amy added.

"Wait a minute. Your brother?" Bobby asked. "Adam?"

"Cas, what the hell?" Dean asked.

Cas set two angel blades on the desk. "Angels."

"Angels?" Sam asked. "Why"

"I know one thing for sure." Cas walked over to Adam. "We need to hide him now." He lowered a hand over Adam's chest. A glowing light emitted from his palm and Adam arched off the bed in pain.

As Cas straightened up, Adam opened his eyes. He sat up in a panic, looking around the room, eyes finally landing on Sam, Dean, and Amy.

"Where am I?" Adam demanded.

"It's okay," Sam said calmly. "Just relax, you're safe."

"Who the hell are you?" Adam asked.

"You're going to find this a little…" Dean trailed off for a moment, "a lot crazy, but we're actually your brothers."

"It's the truth," Sam added at Adam's disbelieving look. "John Winchester was our father, too. See, I'm Sam-"

Adam cut him off. "Yeah, and I'm sure that's Dean, and that's Amy. I know who you are."

"You do?" Amy asked.

Sam frowned. "How?"

"They warned me about you," Adam said.

"Who did?" Dean asked.

"The angels." Adam raised his voice, now getting angry. "Now where the hell is Zachariah?"

"Okay, okay, hey," Sam said. "Why don't we get you cleaned up, and then we'll help you any way we can."

"Yeah, no, Sam's right," Dean agreed. "Okay? There's a shower upstairs you can use and I've got a spare change of clothes you can borrow."

Adam darted his eyes back and forth between the hunters, Cas, and Bobby. Finally, he nodded. "Alright."

Adam stood up and Sam led him upstairs.

* * *

Half an hour later, Adam was back downstairs. His hair and face were no longer covered in dirt and he was wearing a clean set of Dean's clothes. He saw back down on the cot.

Dean handed Adam a glass of whiskey and straddled a chair, resting his arms on the back of it. "So why don't you just tell us everything? Start from the beginning," he suggested.

Adam rested the glass on his knee. "Well, I was dead and in Heaven," he began. "'Cept it—it uh, kinda looked like my prom and I was making out with this girl, her name was Kristin McGee-"

"Yeah, that sounds like heaven," Dean interrupted. "Did you get to third base?"

"Dude!" Amy cried out as Sam cleared his throat.

"Just uh, just keep going," Sam told Adam.

"Well, these…these angels," Adam continued, "they popped out of nowhere, and they tell me that I—I'm chosen."

Sam frowned. "For what?"

"To save the world."

"How you gonna do that?" Dean asked.

"Oh, me and some archangel are going to kill the devil," Adam said nonchalantly. He turned to Dean with a smug expression on his face.

Dean frowned this time. "What archangel?"

"Michael," Adam replied. "I'm his uh, sword or vessel or something, I don't know."

"Right," Amy muttered. "'Cause Dean didn't wanna do it so now they're trying to find someone else."

Dean looked back and forth between Adam and Amy. After a moment, he chuckled. "Well, that's insane."

"Not necessarily," Cas spoke.

Dean turned to Cas. "How do you mean?"

"It's like Amy said," Cas told him, nodding toward Amy as he said her name, "they're moving on from you, Dean."

"Well, that doesn't make sense."

"He is John Winchester's bloodline, Sam's brother," Cas explained. "It's not perfect, but it's possible."

Dean rubbed his eyes. "Well, you gotta be kidding me."

"Why would they do this?" Sam asked.

"Maybe they're desperate," Cas guessed. "Maybe they wrongly assumed Dean would be brave enough to withstand them."

"Alright, you know what? Blow me, Cas," Dean snapped.

"Look, no way. After everything that's happened?" Sam chuckled. "All that crap about destiny? Suddenly the angels have a Plan B? Does that smell right to anybody?"

"No, I think Sam's right," Amy said. "This does seem to be coming out of nowhere."

"You know this has been a really moving family reunion, but uh, I got a thing, so—" Adam set his glass on the ground and stood up.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, no, no, no," Sam said quickly, standing up as well. "Sit down. Just listen, okay? Please."

Adam shook his head in disbelief. "It's unbelievable." He reluctantly sat back down on the cot.

Sam sat on the corner of Bobby's desk. "Now, Adam…the angels are lying to you," he said harshly. "They're full of crap."

"Yeah, I don't think so," Adam said.

"Really." Sam scoffed. "Why not?"

"Um, 'cause they're angels," Adam said loudly.

"You don't know the angels like we do," Amy said. "Trust me when I say most of them don't care about you or anyone else on this planet."

"They tell you they were gonna roast half the planet?" Sam added.

Adam shrugged. "They said the fight might get pretty hairy, but it is the devil, right? So we got to stop him."

"Yeah, but there's another way," Sam argued.

"Great. What is it?"

Dean rolled his eyes at his brother. "We're working on the power of love," he joked.

"How's that going?" Adam asked mockingly.

Dean shook his head, smiling. "Mmm. Not good."

Sam sighed in frustration. "Look, Adam, you don't know me from a hole in the wall, I know. But I'm begging you. Please, just trust me. Give me some time."

"Give me one good reason."

Sam thought for a second. "Because we're blood," he said finally.

Adam glared at Sam "You've got no right to say that to me," he snapped.

"You're still John's boy," Bobby spoke.

"No, John Winchester was some guy who took me to a baseball game once a year," Adam argued. "I don't have a dad. So we may be blood, but we are not family. My mom is my family. And if I do my job, I get to see her again. So no offense, but she's the one I give a rat's ass about, not you."

Sam nodded. "Fair enough," he agreed quietly. "But if you have one good memory of dad, just one, then you'll give us a little more time. Please."

Adam let out a heavy sigh. He looked around, eyes landing on everyone in the room, before coming back to Sam. "Fine," he said. "Now do you think I could get something to eat? I haven't had any food in almost a full year."

Sam turned to Bobby, who nodded. He stood up. "Come on, then."

Adam followed Sam into the kitchen, leaving Dean, Bobby, Cas, and Amy in the study.

"Dean, I think it would be better if you were to go downstairs," Bobby said.

Dean furrowed his brows. "What? Why?"

"Because Zachariah is looking for both you and Adam right now and it seems both of you want to give up," Bobby snapped. "So until we can figure out a way to stop this, we need a way to keep both of you from running out."

Dean looked between Cas and Amy in disbelief. Neither of them said anything. Finally, he turned back to Bobby. "You can't be serious."

"Oh, but I am." Bobby turned to Cas. "Cas, can you take care of that?"

Castiel nodded in response. He walked towards Dean and grabbed his arm. There was a gust of wind and both he and Dean were gone.

A moment later, Cas reappeared without Dean. "He's in the panic room," he assured them.

Amy sat down on the chair Dean had been using. In the kitchen, Sam had given Adam a sandwich, which Adam was now eating.

* * *

Amy and Cas stayed in the study with Bobby while the old hunter researched. No one spoke for a long time.

Bobby turned his wheelchair around to look for a book on the shelf behind his desk. After a couple seconds, Amy heard small footsteps in the kitchen.

"Going somewhere?"

Amy snapped her attention to the kitchen, where Sam could be seen standing across from Adam, who was near the door.

"Out," Adam said hopefully, "for a beer."

Sam clapped his hands together. "Great. We got beer." He pointed to the table. "Have a seat."

Adam reluctantly walked back to the table and sat down. "You know, you pitch this whole dewy-eyed bromance thing, but the truth is I'm on lockdown aren't I?"

Sam placed a beer bottle in front of Adam. "Adam, you might not believe it, but dad was trying to protect you." He sat down across from Adam. "Keeping you from all this."

Adam scoffed in disbelief. "Yeah, well, I guess the monster that ate me didn't get that memo."

Amy frowned and stood up. She walked into the kitchen as Sam spoke.

"You remember that?"

Adam nodded. "Oh, yeah."

"Adam, I'm sorry about that," Amy said, "really, I am, but you have to trust us."

Sam nodded in agreement. "The one thing worse than seeing dad once a year was seeing him all year."

Adam stared back at Sam. "Do you know how full of crap you are?"

"What?"

"Really," Adam continued. "You see, it was me, and it was my mom. That's it. She worked the graveyard shift at the hospital, I cooked my own dinners, I put myself to bed. So, you can say whatever you want about our dad, but the truth is, I would have taken anything. All right?"

Sam nodded slightly. "Look, if we had known we had a brother-"

Adam cut Sam off. "Well, you didn't, so…"

"We would have found you," Sam continued. "Look, I can't change the past. I wish I could, but from here on out-"

Adam cut him off again. "What? We gonna hop in the family truckster?" He asked in a mock-southern accent. "Pop on down to Wally World?"

Sam scoffed and leaned back in his chair. "Tell you one thing, attitude like that. You'd fit right in around here."

Amy smiled in agreement. "Hell yeah, he would," she muttered.

"Sam, Amy."

Amy turned to see Cas standing in the kitchen entryway. "Cas? Everything okay?"

"It's Dean," Cas explained. "He wants to talk to you guys."

Sam and Amy exchanged a look. Finally, Sam stood up. "Okay," he said. He turned to Adam. "Stay here."

They followed Cas down the stairs. Sam unlocked the door to the panic room and it swung open to reveal Dean standing in the middle of the room.

Dean's gaze went directly past Sam and Amy and landed on Cas. "Well, Cas, not for nothing, but the last person who looked at me like that…I got laid," he joked dryly.

Sam and Amy stepped into the room. Amy turned to the angel to see him glaring at Dean. The angel shifted his weight, gaze intensifying.

Sam turned to Cas. "Uh, why don't you, uh, go keep an eye on Adam?" he suggested.

Cas waved a hand, still glaring at Dean, and the door slammed shut.

"Is this really necessary?" Dean asked Sam.

Sam chuckled. "Well, I mean, we got our hands full, Dean," he said. "A house full of flight risks."

"Adam already tried escaping," Amy added.

"I'm not letting him do it," Dean said quietly.

"Who, Adam?" Sam asked. "No, I'm... I'm not, either."

"No, you're not getting me." Dean turned his back and walked towards a corkboard with several photos and news clippings pinned to it.

"Oh, no, no, I 'get' you perfectly," Sam insisted. "But I'm not letting you do it, either."

Dean sat on a table under the board. "That kid's not taking a bullet for me," he said quietly.

"Well we're not letting you take one for us," Amy argued.

"Amy's right," Sam said. "Look, Dean-"

Dean cut his brother off. "I'm serious. I mean, think about how many people we've gotten killed, Sam. Mom, Dad, Jess, Ash, Pamela. Should I keep going?"

"It's not like we pulled the trigger," Sam said.

"We might as well have," Dean argued. "I'm tired, man. I'm tired of fighting who I'm supposed to be."

Sam nodded. "Well, do you think maybe you could take half a second and stop trying to sacrifice yourself for a change?" he asked angrily. "Maybe we could actually stick together?"

Dean looked away. "I don't think so."

"Why not?" Sam asked. When Dean didn't respond, he continued. "Dean, seriously. Tell me. I—I want to know."

"I just…I—I don't believe," Dean said hesitantly.

Sam frowned. "In what?"

Dean stared at his brother. "In you," he admitted. "I mean, I don't. I don't know whether it's gonna be demon blood or some other demon chick or what, but…I do know they're gonna find a way to turn you."

Sam nodded. "So you're saying I'm not strong enough."

"You're angry, you're self-righteous," Dean said. "Lucifer's gonna wear you to the prom, man. It's just a matter of time."

"Don't say that to me," Sam said quietly. "Not you...of all people."

"I don't want to," Dean continued. "But it's the truth. And when Satan takes you over, there's got to be somebody there to fight him, and it ain't gonna be that kid." He chuckled. "So, it's got to be me."

Sam scoffed. Without a word, he turned and walked out of the panic room. Amy quickly followed, leaving Dean alone once more.

They headed back upstairs to find Cas and Bobby in the study. Adam was asleep on the cot while Cas watched him.

Bobby wheeled closer as they approached. "How's he doing?"

Sam shrugged and scoffed in response.

"How you doing?" Bobby asked next. He looked over at Amy. "Both of you."

Sam nodded slightly.

Amy shrugged. "Honestly, though, I'm a little tired. I might turn in for the night."

Sam nodded in response. "Alright," he agreed. "I'll wake you if anything happens."

"Sounds good," Amy said. "I'll see you guys in the morning."

Amy headed upstairs and into her bedroom. She got into her usual sweatpants and t-shirt, before climbing into the creaky bed and falling asleep.

* * *

**March 21st, 2010**

The next morning, there was a loud knock on Amy's door. She jumped slightly at the noise and sat up. "Yeah?"

"Dean's gone." Sam's voice was in a panic.

Amy jumped out of bed and pulled open her door. "What? How?"

"Angel-banishing sigil," Sam explained. "Cas went to check on him last night. He's gone too."

Amy gestured out of the room and the two of them hurried downstairs.

"Where's Cas?" Bobby asked.

"Blown to Oz," Sam explained.

"Look, we'll get Dean," Sam said, nodding towards Amy. "He couldn't have gone too far. Just watch Adam."

"Let me go get my shoes on," Amy said. Without waiting for a response, she ran back upstairs. Not bothering to change out of her pajamas, she slipped on her tennis shoes and grabbed her jacket, before running back downstairs.

"Let's go." Sam quickly led Amy outside and to the Impala. They got in and sped away from the house, down the road.

"Where the hell would he have even gone?" Amy asked.

"I've got no clue," Sam admitted.

* * *

They spent almost an hour driving around, looking for Dean. Eventually, though, they had to give up.

Sam drove them back to Bobby's house. His hand was gripped tightly on the steering wheel, turning his knuckles white.

"We'll find him," Amy assured the other hunter quietly. "I know we will."

Sam sighed. "Somehow, I doubt that."

They headed back inside the house. As soon as Amy stepped over the threshold, she knew something was wrong.

Bobby wheeled into the hallway. "Please tell me you two found Dean," he said frantically.

Amy shook her head. "No luck."

"Bobby, is everything okay?" Sam asked.

Bobby shook his head. "Adam's gone."

"What?" Sam ran past Bobby into the study.

Amy hurried after him to find the cot Adam had been sleeping on now empty.

Sam turned back to the old hunter. "Bobby, what do you mean, Adam is gone?"

"Should I say it in Spanish?"

"He's gone how?" Sam snapped. "What the hell, Bobby?!"

"Watch your tone, boy," Bobby warned. "He was right in front of me, and he disappeared into thin air."

There was a gust of wind and Castiel reappeared. He was supporting a beaten, bloody Dean. "Because the angels took him."

"What the hell?" Amy asked at the sight of Dean.

"Cas, what happened to him?" Sam asked.

"Me." Cas dropped Dean on the bed. The hunter had a small cut on his lip and the side of his cheek.

"What do you mean, the angels took Adam?" Bobby asked as he wheeled into the study. "You branded his ribs, didn't you?"

"Yes. Adam must have tipped them," Cas guessed.

"How?"

"I don't know." Cas looked away. "Maybe in a dream."

"Well, where would they have taken him?" Sam asked.

"The Greenroom," Amy realized. "That's where they took Dean and I when they were trying to get Sam to kill Lilith."

Cas nodded. "That's where they'd take Adam."

"Okay," Sam said. He pointed to his brother. "We need to get him back downstairs."

"I'll handle that." Cas picked Dean back up, tossing him over his shoulder like a rag doll.

"Cas, wait," Sam said. He handed the angel a pair of handcuffs. "Put these on him. Cuff him to the bed in there. We need to make sure he can't get out again."

Cas nodded. He took the cuffs from Dean and vanished from the room.

Amy stared at the spot the angel had just been standing. "I'm gonna go get dressed," she said decidedly. She headed upstairs, back towards her room.

* * *

Amy closed her door and sat down on the edge of her bed. So much was happening right now. How much longer did this season have? A month? A week? She wasn't sure anymore. It was only a matter of time before the big showdown happened, whether she liked it or not. She didn't think there was anything she could say or do to stop it this time around.

Finally standing up, Amy opened her duffle and pulled out a pair of jeans, a fresh t-shirt, and a black hoodie. She got dressed, pulling her shoes back on afterwards.

Once she was dressed, Amy headed into her adjacent bathroom. She ran a brush through her hair and pulled it into a low ponytail, before heading back downstairs.

"You wanna do what?" Amy heard Bobby ask loudly as she reached the first floor.

"Bobby, you and I both know I can't do this alone," Sam argued.

Amy jumped down the last couple of steps. "Oh, god, what did I miss this time?" she asked jokingly.

"Sam wants to take Dean to the Greenroom with you guys."

"You wanna what?" Amy asked, turning her attention to Sam.

Sam sighed in frustration. "Look, I don't think he'll say yes," he argued. "But there's bound to be a ton of angels there and we can't take them on by ourselves."

Amy put her hands together and brought them to her face. She closed her eyes and let out a frustrated noise. "So, let me get this straight," she began. "After Cas has to beat Dean unconscious because he was about to say 'yes', you want to take him with us to confront the very same angels he almost said 'yes' to not ten minutes ago?"

Sam nodded.

"That's the dumbest idea I've ever heard," Bobby snapped.

Cas walked in from the kitchen. "Bobby is right," he agreed.

"See?" Amy asked, gesturing to Cas. "Even Cas agrees with me. Look, I get you guys are brothers and all that but does common sense just fly out the window when you're a Winchester?"

"Just…" Sam shifted on the spot, "let me talk to him, alright? Maybe I can talk some sense into him."

"I-" Amy looked around at Bobby and Cas. "Guys?"

"Cas, you went and checked out the Greenroom, right?" Sam asked. "What did it look like in there?"

Cas hesitated for a moment. "It was crawling with angels," he finally admitted.

"There, you see?" Sam asked triumphantly.

"It's a stupid idea," Bobby repeated angrily. "But fine, if you think you can talk some sense into that brother of yours, then have at it."

Sam let out a huff, then turned and headed down to the basement.

Amy sat down on the cot. "We really doing this?" she asked Cas.

Cas leaned against the doorframe. "We have to."

Amy pulled her knees to her chest and sighed, not saying anything in response.

A couple of minutes later, Sam walked back into the study, accompanied by Dean.

"Hey," Dean said as he looked around at everyone. "So, we doing this?"

Cas didn't say anything, but Amy could see him glaring slightly at Dean. She stood up and joined the others as Cas reached out and touched Dean on the forehead.

* * *

**Van Nuys, California**

The next second, Amy found herself walking on a sidewalk outside, next to an abandoned warehouse. She blinked a few times as her eyes adjusted to the sudden bright light.

"Where the hell are we?" Dean asked.

"Van Nuys, California," Cas said. He was walking slightly ahead of the hunters.

"Where's the beautiful room?"

Cas nodded towards the warehouse. "In there."

"The beautiful room is in an abandoned muffler factory in Van Nuys, California?" Dean asked disbelievingly.

"Where'd you think it was?" Cas questioned.

"I—I don't know," Dean stammered. "Jupiter? A blade of grass? Not Van Nuys."

"Tell me again why you don't just grab Adam and shazam the hell out of there," Sam said as they stopped at the warehouse door.

"Because there are at least five angels in there," Cas reminded him.

"So?" Dean scoffed. "You're fast."

"They're faster." Cas stripped off his tie and began wrapping it around his palm.

Amy raised an eyebrow. "What are you doing that for?"

"I'll clear them out," Cas said. "You three grab the boy. This is our only chance." He turned and began heading towards the door.

"Whoa, wait," Dean said quickly. "You're gonna take on five angels?"

"Yes."

"Isn't that suicide?"

Amy nodded in agreement. "Cas, they'll kill you," she said.

"Maybe they will." Cas turned to Dean. "But then I won't have to watch you fail. I'm sorry, Dean. I don't have the same faith in you that Sam does." The angel pulled something with an orange handle out of his pocket. He flipped a blade out and Amy realized it was a box cutter.

"Cas, why do you have a box cutter in your pocket?" Amy asked.

"What the hell are you gonna do with that?" Sam added.

Cas didn't respond. Instead, he pulled out the two angel blades from earlier. Handing one to Sam and the other to Dean, he turned back to the door. "Five minutes," he instructed. With that, he opened the door and stepped inside.

* * *

Three minutes later, Dean opened the door and they walked inside the warehouse. Sam went in one direction, while Dean and Amy went in the other.

Amy followed Dean down a dark hallway. They rounded a corner and came across an angel dead on the ground.

Next to the slain angel was a small room with a closed door and boarded-up windows. They quietly approached the door and Dean pushed it open.

Despite the outside of the room looking like it could fall apart at any second, the inside looked like the familiar room Amy and Dean had been brought to the year before.

Amy quickly spotted Adam unconscious on the floor across from them. "Dean," she said quickly.

The two hunters hurried over to Adam.

"Adam, hey." Dean put a hand on Adam's shoulder to get his attention. "Hey."

Adam sat up with a gasp. He looked up at Dean. "You came for me."

Amy smiled slightly. "Of course, we did."

"You're family," Dean added. He put Adam's arm over his shoulder and helped him up.

"Dean, Amy, it's a trap," Adam groaned.

Dean nodded. "I figured."

Dean took one step, then stopped in his tracks. Amy spun around to see Zachariah standing directly behind her.

"Dean, Amy, please," Zachariah said. "Did you really think it would be that easy?"

"Did you?" Dean countered.

Behind Zachariah, Sam ran up with his angel blade. Zachariah quickly turned and grabbed Sam's arm. He slammed the hunter's arm down on the table, knocking the blade out of his hand, before throwing him against a screen on the other side of the room.

"Sam!" Dean and Amy shouted.

"You know what I've learned from this experience, Dean?" Zachariah asked. "Patience." He waved a hand and Adam began coughing violently. Amy could see blood coming from his mouth.

"Adam?" Dean let go as Adam fell to the floor. He glared at the angel. "Let him go, you son of a bitch."

Zachariah continued. "I mean, I thought I was downsized for sure. And for us, a firing...pretty damn literal. But I should have trusted the boss man. It's all playing out like he said. You, me, your hemorrhaging brothers." He raised a fist and Sam began to cough up blood as well.

Amy took a step forward, towards Sam. Zachariah didn't take his eyes off Dean as he waved a hand.

The next second, Amy found herself flying across the room towards a wall. She hit the wall with her back and slid down to the floor.

"You're finally ready, right?" Zachariah asked Dean. He twisted his fist and Amy found herself coughing up blood as well.

Amy could barely open her eyes. She held her stomach as she continued coughing, blood pooling on the ground underneath her mouth

"You know there's no other choice," Zachariah continued. "There's never been a choice."

"Stop it," Dean demanded. "Stop it right now!"

"In exchange for what?" Zachariah asked.

There was a brief paused before Dean answered. "Damn it, Zachariah," he said quietly. "Stop it, please. I'll do it."

"I'm sorry," Zachariah teased. "What was that?"

"Okay, yes," Dean said, a little louder. "The answer is yes."

"Dean!" Sam yelled. He had somehow been able to stop coughing long enough for him to sit up.

Still coughing, Amy struggled to push herself up on her arm. "Dean, don't," she said weakly.

"Do you hear me?" Dean's voice broke. "Call Michael down, you bastard!"

"How do I know you're not lying?" Zachariah accused.

"Do I look like I'm lying?"

Zachariah turned away and began speaking in Enochian. " _Zirdo noco abramg nazpsad fgaosga_."

Dean looked around at Sam, Adam, and Amy as Zachariah summoned Michael. When the angel was done, the room began to shake violently.

"He's coming," Zachariah whispered triumphantly.

Amy saw Dean give Sam a small smile and wink. Zachariah's power had worn off and she had stopped coughing, now lying weakly on the floor.

"Of course, I have a few conditions," Dean spoke.

Zachariah turned around in shock. "What?"

"The few people whose safety you have to guarantee before I say yes."

"Sure, fine," Zachariah said reluctantly. "Make a list."

"But most of all," Dean continued, "Michael can't have me until he disintegrates you."

Amy couldn't help but smirk as Zachariah looked at Dean in disbelief. "What did you say?" the angel asked.

"I said," Dean said a bit louder, "before Michael gets one piece of this sweet ass…he has to turn you into a piece of charcoal."

Zachariah chuckled nervously. "You really think Michael's gonna go for that?"

Dean took a menacing step forward. "Who's more important to him now? You…or me?"

Zachariah lunged forward and grabbed Dean by the shirt. "You listen to me," he warned. "You are nothing but a maggot inside a worm's ass. Do you know who I am…after I deliver you to Michael?"

Dean smirked. "Expendable."

Zachariah chuckled. "Michael's not gonna kill me."

"Maybe not. But I am." Dean suddenly grabbed the angel blade Cas had given him and stabbed Zachariah through the chin.

Zachariah's eyes and mouth flashed with a blinding white light. Another bright light exploded out of the angel as he died, knocking Dean back onto the ground.

The room was shaking even more now and a bright light began to fill the room.

Dean quickly turned to Adam. "Can you walk?"

Adam nodded. "Yeah."

"Okay, come on." Dean quickly helped Adam up, then ran to his brother.

Knowing there was no time for Dean to get to her, Amy pulled herself to her feet.

Dean put his brother's arm over his shoulder and stumbled towards the door. Adam and Amy were close behind, with Amy slightly ahead of Adam.

"Come on, move it!" Dean yelled over the noise. He opened the door and hurried out of the room.

As soon as Amy had stepped through the door, it slammed closed behind her.

"Adam!" Amy cried out. She backed up as the light inside began to seep through the cracks.

Dean quickly sat Sam down on a nearby bench, then ran back to the door. Every crack in the wall and the doorframe had the piercing, bright, light coming from it now and the door handle could barely be seen anymore.

On the other side of the door, they could hear Adam pounding his fist on it. "Dean, help!" he begged. "It won't open!"

Dean reached out to grab the door handle, only to let go as it burned his palm. "Hold on!" he yelled through the door. "We'll get you out. Just hold on. Adam! Can you hear me?!"

The light faded and Dean cautiously reached out and touched the doorknob. It didn't burn him and he swung the door open. The Greenroom, Zachariah, and Adam were all gone and in their place was an abandoned office.

"No," Amy whispered.

"Adam?" Dean asked.

Sam staggered over to them, still clutching his stomach. "Is he-?"

"He's gone," Dean said sadly.

They waited a few more moments before Dean put Sam's arm over his shoulder again and led them towards the exit. They walked outside, where the sun was beginning to set.

Dean helped his brother into the car as Amy got into the back. He slid into the driver's seat and started the engine, driving away from the warehouse. Amy lay down across the backseat, still feeling a bit weak.

"You think Adam's okay?" Sam asked.

Dean shot his brother a quick glance. "Doubt it. Cas either. But we'll get 'em," he promised.

"So…" Sam trailed off.

"So, what?" Dean asked.

"I saw your eyes," Sam said. "You were totally rockin' the 'yes' back there. So, what changed your mind?"

"Honestly?" Dean shook his head. "The damnedest thing. I mean, the world's ending. The walls are coming down on us, and I look over to you and all I can think about is, 'this stupid son of a bitch brought me here.' I just didn't want to let you down."

Sam nodded. "You didn't. You almost did. But you didn't." He chuckled slightly.

"I owe you an apology."

Sam shook his head. "No, man. No, you don't."

"Just...let me say this," Dean continued. "I don't know if it's being a big brother or what, but to me, you've always been this snot-nosed kid that I've had to keep on the straight and narrow. I think we both know that that's not you anymore."

The car was silent until Dean continued. "I mean, hell, if you're grown-up enough to find faith in me," he added, "the least I can do is return the favor. So screw destiny, right in the face. I say we take the fight to them and do it our way."

Sam looked at his brother. He gave him a small smile before nodding in agreement. "Sounds good."

Amy propped herself up on her arm. "I like that plan," she agreed.

Dean nodded. He turned back to the road and Amy leaned against the window as she watched the night sky pass by.


	54. Hammer of the Gods

**March 30th, 2010 - Muncie, Indiana**

Dean was driving slower than usual down the dark road. Not that Amy blamed him though. She could barely see two feet out her own window with the heavy rain that was pouring down.

"Man, we gotta stop somewhere for the night," Dean complained. "I can't see crap out here."

Sam shook his head. "Let's keep going for a bit. It's not even that late yet."

"Dude, are you trying to get us killed?" Amy half-joked. "I'm with Dean on this one, I can't see anything out my own window back here."

A blurry, lit up, hotel sign came into view and Dean pulled into the parking lot. "Look," he told his brother, "we'll stop here for the night, let this storm clear out, then get back on the road first thing. Deal?"

Sam let out a heavy sigh. "Fine."

The rain drummed rhythmically on the roof of the car. Amy pulled the hood of her hoodie over her head, mentally preparing herself to sprint across the parking lot and avoid getting too wet.

"Alright," Dean said. "Get out, grab your stuff, then run."

The hunters threw open their doors and quickly got out. Amy instantly found herself soaked from the rain, including her feet inside her shoes. She ran to the trunk, catching her bag as Dean tossed it in her direction.

Dean closed the trunk and they ran towards a blue, neon sign that read 'Elysian Fields Hotel.' They hurried into the lobby, gasping as they were finally able to slow down.

Amy took off her hood. A bit of her hair was plastered with rainwater to her cheek and she could feel a small bit of water inside her shoes. She glanced up at Sam and Dean to see that both of them were also soaked head to toe.

The inside of the hotel was even nicer than the outside. There was a lounge area in front of the front desk, complete with couches, carpet, music, and a fireplace. Behind them was an open Astro bar.

"Whew," Dean said with an approving nod. "Nice digs, for once. Busy night." He led them to the front desk.

The concierge was a tall man with short, dark hair. He had a name tag that read 'Chet' pinned to the front of his blazer and a black bowtie. He smiled occasionally at the hunters as he typed away at his computer.

Dean leaned against the counter. "Busy night," he said.

Chet finished typing and turned to Dean. "Any port in a storm, I guess." He chuckled and slid a form across the counter. "If you could just fill this out, please."

"Yeah." Dean grabbed a pen and began to fill out the form.

Chet seemed to notice something and frowned. "Sir, I think you got a little-" he pointed to a spot on his own neck, then pointed to Dean, "-shaving nick there." He handed Dean a tissue.

Dean looked confused but took the tissue. He pressed it against his neck, and when he pulled it away, there was a spot of blood.

Chet held up their room key. "Your key."

"Oh. Thanks." Dean took the key, still holding the tissue against his neck. "Hey, you wouldn't happen to have a coffee shop, would you?"

"Buffet." Chet gestured towards the bar. "All you can eat. Best pie in the tri-state area."

Dean's eyes seemed to light up. "You don't say?" He turned to Sam and Amy. "Food first, then we'll get to our room." Without waiting for an answer, he picked up his bag and headed towards the buffet.

Amy chuckled slightly as she followed Dean. Of course, he'd want the pie before going to their room.

They found an empty table with three chairs and dropped their bags by each one. Sam sat at the table while Amy and Dean headed for the deserts.

Dean stood in front of the table, comparing two different slices of pie. Amy rolled her eyes and grabbed a slice of lemon meringue, her favorite.

A short man with glasses stood next to Dean, looking around at all the deserts. "Heaven, right?" he asked.

Dean scoffed. "Trust me, pal, better." He put one of the pies down and began to walk away, only to stop and grab a chocolate ball off the top of a creme pie and shove it into his mouth, before continuing.

Amy grabbed a fork and walked with Dean back to the table. She suddenly saw him stop and backtrack, and looked over to see a woman sitting at a table by herself. She was wearing a red blouse and had dark hair that cascaded down her dark skin and stopped at her shoulders.

Dean flashed the woman a charming smile. "How you doing?" he asked

The woman didn't even look up. "No."

Dean frowned. "But-"

"No," the woman repeated. This time, she gave Dean a side glance.

Dean tried again. "Oh, lady, I'm just, you know-"

The woman cut him off. She didn't look amused. "I understand. And no," she said firmly.

Dean looked like he wanted to say something else, but couldn't think of anything. "10-4," he finally said. "Yeah."

They finally made their way back to the table and sat down. Sam had an untouched plate of food in front of him and was intently staring at his phone.

Dean nodded towards Sam's plate. "Sam, unpucker, man. Eat something." He took a bite of his own pie.

Amy did the same. It had been forever since she'd had her favorite pie flavor.

Sam didn't take his eyes off his phone. "We should hit the road, Dean."

Amy stopped mid-bite and stared at Sam in disbelief. "Why would we do that?"

"Ames is right, dude," Dean agreed. "I mean, this storm, i-it's-"

Sam cut him off. "It's biblical. Exactly. I-it's friggin' Noah's ark out there, and we're eating pie," he argued.

Dean put his fork down. "How many hours of sleep did you get this week?" he asked. "What? Three? Four?"

Sam sighed heavily and Amy could see him roll his eyes at his brother.

"Bobby's got his feelers out, okay?" Dean continued. "We have talked with every hoodoo man and root woman in twelve states."

"Yeah, well, I'm not giving up."

"Neither are we," Amy countered.

"Nobody's giving up," Dean said. "Especially me. We're gonna find a way to beat the devil, okay? Soon. I can feel it. And we will find Cas, we'll find Adam. But you are no good to me burnt out."

Sam stared at his brother for a bit, before finally nodding. "Yeah. Yeah, okay."

"Come on, we've actually got the night off for once." Dean smiled. "Let's try to enjoy it."

Amy chuckled. "Famous last words."

Dean reached over with his fork and snatched a bite of her pie in response.

* * *

When they were done eating, they picked up their bags and left the buffet. Dean led them down the hallway to room 102.

A couple doors down, a young couple was making out in the hallway. Dean couldn't help but point and smile as the woman laughed ecstatically.

Sam scoffed. "Oh, what are you, twelve?"

"I'm young at heart," Dean joked.

The door creaked open and the hunters stepped inside their room.

Dean whistled at the sight of the large room. "Wow. Look at this. We're like Rockefellers." He put down his bag and picked up something on the pillow. "Chocolates! You want yours?"

"Knock yourself out," Sam said.

Amy set her bag on the other bed. "Dude, this place is amazing!" she said. She picked up the chocolate on her pillow and tossed it into her mouth.

"Whoa." Dean picked something else up from the nightstand. "'Casa Erotica 13' on-demand," he read.

Sam scoffed.

"What?" Dean asked.

"Isn't this place... in the middle of nowhere?"

Dean shrugged. "So?"

"So what's a four-star hotel doing on a no-star highway?"

"I don't know, Sam," Amy began. "But-

A loud thump on the other side of the wall cut her off. She sat up, expecting something to happen, but whatever it was had stopped.

The hunters couldn't help but laugh a little, but another loud thump interrupted them again. This time, several of the bricks in the wall were smashed in and the television was almost knocked off of the wall.

"Umm…should we… go see what that was?" Amy asked.

Sam and Dean exchanged a glance. "Definitely," they said simultaneously.

Amy followed Sam and Dean out of the room and to the one next door. They opened it up, only to be met with an empty room.

"Hello?" Dean called out.

Amy frowned. "They were just here, right?"

"Yeah." Dean wandered further into the room.

Sam wandered into the bathroom to make sure no one was in there. "Hello?"

Amy looked around the room. Nothing seemed out of place, not even the wall that had almost come down.

Dean nudged her. "Hey, check it out."

Amy looked down to see something on the carpet by Dean's foot. He knelt down to pick it up and she saw that it was a large, gold engagement ring.

Amy looked around again. "There's no way those guys left that quickly."

"Let's head down to the front desk," Sam suggested. "Maybe that attendant knows something."

Dean stood back up. "Yeah, good idea."

They left the room and headed back down the hallway. The concierge was typing away at his computer again and didn't seem to notice the hunters approach.

Dean leaned against the counter and cleared his throat.

Chet looked up and smiled at them. "Can I help you?"

"The, uh, the room next to ours," Dean said, "t-the couple that are, uh, joined at the lips. Have you seen them?"

"Mr. and Mrs. Logan - the honeymooners?" Chet typed something quickly on the keyboard, then smiled back up. "They checked out." Noticing the hunter's expressions, he added. "Is something the matter?"

"They checked out?" Sam repeated.

"Mm-hmm." Chet looked at the computer. "Mm, just now."

"Are you sure?" Amy asked.

"'Cause it sort of seemed like they were, uh…" Sam chuckled slightly "...in the middle of something."

"Yeah, it's kind of weird for honeymooners to, uh, check out without this." Dean held up the engagement ring.

"Oh, dear." Chet took the ring from Dean. "I'll just put that right in the lost and found. Don't you worry. Is there anything else I can help you with?" He gave them another smile that gave Amy a bad feeling.

"Uh, no. No, we're good."

"Super-fantastic."

The hunters turned around and began to walk away from the counter.

"Creepy," Sam whispered.

"You just had to say something, didn't you, Dean?" Amy asked.

Dean frowned. "Shut up."

They stopped walking and Dean turned to his brother. "All right, well, I'll scope out the joint, and you keep an eye on Norman Bates over here," he suggested. "I mean, one night off. Is that too much to ask?"

"What about me?" Amy asked.

"Take your pick," Dean said. "You can go with me or Sam."

Amy nodded towards Dean. "I'll go with you."

Dean nodded. "Meet you back here, later?" he asked Sam.

"Yeah, just be careful."

"You too."

Sam went in one direction while Dean and Amy went in the other. They got into the elevator and pushed the button for the second floor.

As they headed up, Dean pulled out an EMF meter. The elevator reached the floor and they slowly began walking down the hallway.

The meter whirred as Amy and Dean passed by each room. As they made their way past a room with an open door, something stopped them in their tracks.

What sounded like an elephant trumpet came from the room they had just walked by. Amy could have sworn she had seen an actual elephant in the room as well.

The two hunters backed up to look in the room again. The only thing they saw, however, was a large, black man wrapping a towel around himself.

"This ain't no peep show, man!" The man roughly slammed the door closed.

Dean and Amy stood there for a few moments.

"Please tell me I'm not the only one that saw an elephant in that room," Amy finally spoke.

Dean was still staring at the door, a look of confusion on his face. "Yeah, no, I, uh...yeah," he managed to say.

"Okay, so, I'm not going crazy."

"Maybe we both are," Dean joked.

Amy let out a small laugh. "That's not funny."

"Then why are you laughing?"

Amy rolled her eyes. "So, uh, you think that's weird enough or should we keep going?"

Dean looked down the hall, then back to the elevator. "Nah, let's get going," he decided. "Sam might be waiting for us."

Amy nodded. Dean pocketed the EMF meter and they got back into the elevator. It brought them back down to the first floor and as they got out, they ran into Sam, who was coming from the other hallway.

"Dude, we just saw an elephant," Dean whispered quickly as they approached Sam.

"An elephant?" Sam asked as they walked back towards the lobby.

"An elephant," Amy repeated.

"Like, an elephant?"

"Like, full-on Babar," Dean added.

"So what the hell is…" Sam trailed off as they reached the lobby. It was completely empty. "Where is everybody?"

Sam walked towards the lobby doors and pulled on them. They didn't open.

Dean sighed in frustration. "Let me guess - it's locked. So what - the roaches check-in, they don't check out?"

"Oh, god, it's like Hotel California all over again," Amy muttered.

"Think about how we got here," Sam said. He walked back over to the others. "That detour on I-90? The friggin' hurricane?"

"You saying we were led here?" Dean asked.

"Like rats in a maze."

"What the actual hell," Amy muttered. She looked around the empty lobby again. "Okay, wait, so, where is everyone else, then?"

Sam and Dean exchanged a look. "Kitchen," they said at the same time.

"Kitchen it is, then."

The hunters headed back down the hallway and through the doors labeled 'Kitchen' to find that it was empty as well.

A red liquid bubbled in a pot on the counter.

"Please be tomato soup," Dean muttered. "Please be tomato soup." He lifted the ladle to reveal two eyeballs and grimaced. "Motel hell."

Amy groaned in disgust at the sight. "I might never eat tomato soup again."

Sam began walking towards the freezer door. He bent down and looked through the window, only to jump back as a hand from inside hit the surface.

"Help us! Get us out!" A man inside the fridge pleaded.

Sam quickly reached into his pocket and pulled out his lock picking kit.

"Here, Sam," Amy said, quickly hurrying up to the door. "I can get it open."

Sam stood up and turned towards her to step out of the way. "Okay, just hur-" Sam stopped short.

"There's somebody behind us, isn't there?" Dean asked.

Amy turned to see three men standing behind them, wearing suits. "Uh, hi there."

One of the men roughly grabbed Amy by the arm and forcibly spun her around. The other two men grabbed Sam and Dean as well and the three hunters were dragged out of the room.

They were dragged through the lobby and down another hallway, until being pushed through a pair of large double doors labeled 'Grand Ballroom.' Inside were three tables pushed together to make a 'U' shape. Four red, velvet chairs lined two of the tables and had small lamps in front of them.

A few people stood in the room, many of which Amy didn't recognize. One person in the room, however, she did recognize. The woman Dean had tried flirting with earlier. Everyone was wearing a nametag, and Amy was able to make out a few of them. Ganesh, Odin, Kali, and Baldur.

"Oh boy," Amy whispered.

"Something tells me this isn't a Shriner convention," Dean said.

Chet, or as his nametag read, Mercury, pushed a dinner cart into the room. "Dinner is served." He lifted the dome cover to reveal a platter of various human organs and a severed head in the middle.

Amy felt sick to her stomach. "I'm never eating again," she muttered.

Everyone else in the room applauded. Bright lights suddenly turned towards the hunters and Baldur gestured towards them.

"Ladies and Gentleman, our guests of honor have arrived."

Three chairs slid up from behind the hunters, forcing them to sit down. The gods in the room sat down around the table, with Baldur and Kali at the head.

Baldur held up a champagne glass and clinked a fork to it. "Ladies and gentleman, thank you for coming. Although in all my centuries, I never thought I'd see this. This many gods under one roof."

"Gods?" Sam muttered.

"Now, before we get down to brass tacks, some ground rules," Baldur continued. "No slaughtering each other. Curb your wrath. Oh, and uh, keep your hands off the local virgins. We're trying to keep a low profile here."

"Oh, we are so... so screwed."

Baldur kept talking. "Now we all know why we're here. The Judeo-Christian apocalypse looms over us. I know we've all had our little disagreements in the past. The time has come to put those aside and look toward the future. Because if we don't, we won't have one. Now we do have two very valuable bargaining chips." He gestured towards the hunters. "Michael, and Lucifer's vessels. The question is, what do we do now? Anybody have any bright ideas? Speak up. This is a safe room."

One of the gods, Zao Shen, stood up. He began yelling something in a language Amy didn't recognize.

"Oh, I don't like his tone," Dean muttered jokingly.

Ganesh laughed. "Kill 'em?" he asked. "What, so the angels can bring them back again?"

"I don't know what everybody's getting so worked up about!" Odin said as Zao sat back down. "'Cause, it's just a couple of angels having a slap fight! There's no Armageddon. Everybody knows, when the world comes to an end, the Great Serpent Jormungandr rises up, and I myself will be eaten by a big wolf!" He finished off with a laugh.

Zao Shen sighed, muttering something in response.

"Oh yeah?" Odin asked. "And why is that? Because your beliefs are so much more realistic? The whole world's getting carried around on the back of a giant turtle? Ha! Give me a break!"

Zao fired back a string of words. "Don't mock my world turtle."

"What are you gonna do about it?" Odin threatened.

Zao angrily yelled something back.

"Somebody's mad," Amy whispered.

"You watch your mouth when you talk to me, boy!" Odin warned.

Zao said something back.

"No one's ever proved that."

As the two gods argued, Amy felt Sam nudge her on the shoulder. She looked at him and he darted his eyes towards the door. Giving him a tiny nod, the hunters slowly got out of their chairs and moved towards the door.

Before they had stood up all the way, a large chandelier fell to the ground in front of them with a loud crash.

"Stay."

The hunters slowly turned back around to see the Kali standing up, staring at them coldly. "We have to fight," she said to the other gods. "The archangels - the only thing they understand is violence. This ends in blood. There is no other way, it's them, or us."

"With all due respect, ma'am," Mercury spoke, "we haven't even tried talking to them." He stopped talking as he suddenly began to choke. He pulled at his collar as blood began coming out of his mouth.

"Kali!" Baldur snapped.

Mercury stopped choking instantly. He leaned across the table, gasping for breath.

"Who asked you?" Kali asked.

Amy heard the doors swing open behind them, and then heard a very familiar voice.

"Can't we all just get along!"

The hunters turned to see Gabriel stroll into the room. He was wearing a burgundy shirt with a light green jacket with sleeves that were too slightly too long for his arms.

Amy instantly flashed the archangel a smile.

"Gab-" Dean was suddenly cut off as Gabe waved a finger and took away his voice.

Gabe walked further into the room. "Sam! Dean. It's always wrong place, worst time with you muttonheads, huh?" He turned to Amy. "Hi, Ames," he whispered, giving the girl a smile.

"Hi," Amy whispered back.

"Loki," Baldur spoke from the table.

Gabe snapped his attention towards the god. He stepped between the hunters and in the row between the tables. "Baldur. Good seeing you too. I guess my invitation got lost in the mail."

"Why are you here?" Baldur demanded.

"To talk about the elephant in the room." Gabe held up a finger as Ganesh began to stand. "Not you. The Apocalypse. We can't stop it, gang. But first things first."

Gabe turned back to the hunters. "The adults need to have a little conversation. Check you later." With that, he snapped his fingers and Amy felt the familiar sensation of being teleported somewhere.

The next second, Amy found herself standing in their hotel room with Sam and Dean. She took a seat on the couch.

"Okay, did that," Dean stammered, trying to find his voice. "Holy crap!" he finally managed to say.

"You can say that again," Amy muttered.

"Yeah, tell me about it," Sam said. "By the way, next time I say let's keep driving, uh, let's keep driving."

"Okay, yeah. Next time," Dean snapped.

"Alright, so what's our next move?" Sam asked.

Dean ran a hand through his hair. "I-I-I... I don't know. Grab those poor saps outta the freezer, I guess? Bust 'em out? Gank a few freaks along the way if we're lucky?"

"And when are you ever lucky?"

Amy looked over to see Gabriel sitting casually on the couch next to her.

"Well, you know what, bite me, Gabriel," Dean challenged.

"Maybe later, big boy."

"Hey, Gabe," Amy said, giving the archangel another smile.

Gabe smiled back. "Hey, kiddo."

Dean rolled his eyes. "I still can't believe you two are BFFs. I mean, I should've known. This had your stink all over it from the jump."

Gabriel frowned. "You think I'm behind this? Please." He stood up. "I'm the Costner to your Houston. I'm here to save your ass."

"You wanna pull us outta the fire?" Dean asked suspiciously.

"Bingo!" Gabe said. "Those guys are either gonna dust you, or use you as bait. Either way, you're uber-boned."

Amy stood up as well, joining the others. "Thanks, buddy," she said sarcastically. Gabe smirked.

"Wow, 'cause a couple of months ago you were telling us that we need to play our roles," Dean reminded the archangel. "You're uber boning us!"

Gabe whistled. "Oh, the end is still nigh. Michael and Lucifer are gonna dance the lambada, but not tonight. Not here."

"And why do you care?" Dean asked.

"I don't care," Gabe said hesitantly. "But, me and Kali we, uh, had a thing. Chick was all hands." At the hunter's looks, he added, "What can I say? I'm sentimental."

"Do they have a chance?" Sam finally asked. "Against Satan?"

"Really, Sam?" Dean snapped.

"You got a better idea, Dean?"

"It's a bad idea," Gabriel argued. "Lucifer's gonna turn them into finger paint. So let's get going while the going's good, hmm?"

"Okay, great, why don't you just zap us outta here then?" Dean asked.

"Would if I could, but Kali's got you by the short and curlies," Gabriel explained. "It's a blood spell. You three are on a leash."

Amy frowned. "Wait, I don't think they got me. At least, not that I'm aware."

"No, they definitely did." Gabe stepped forward and pulled her sleeve up, revealing a small cut that she hadn't noticed, as well as a spot of blood on the edge of the sleeve.

Amy frowned, "How did I not notice that?"

"Okay, but," Dean spoke, "what does this mean?"

"It means it's time for a bit of the old black magic." Gabe pulled out a breath spray and spritzed it into his mouth.

"Really?" Amy asked.

Gabe put the spray away. "Really."

"Okay, yeah. Well, whatever," Dean said dismissively. "We're gonna take the hors d'oeuvres in the freezer with us."

"Forget it." Gabe scoffed. "It's gonna be hard enough sneaking you mooks outta here."

"They called you Loki, right?" Dean recalled. "Which means they don't really know who you are?"

"Told you. I'm in witness protection."

"Okay, well then how about you do what we say, or we tell the, uh, legion of doom about your secret identity," Dean threatened. "They don't seem like a real pro-angel kinda crowd."

"I'll take your voices away," Gabriel countered, taking a menacing step forward.

"We'll write it down."

"I'll cut off your hands."

"Okay, Gabe, just know that I'm not on board with the whole 'tell the pagan gods who you are, thing'," Amy cut in, "but everyone in this room knows I don't need hands to write a note." She used her powers to make a pen float through the air between them, to prove her point, before letting it fall to the ground.

Gabriel sighed heavily. "Fine," he finally agreed. A second later, he disappeared.

"What now?" Sam asked.

"Now, we find a way to get the other guests out of that freezer." Dean led the way out of the room.

Sam and Amy followed Dean down the hallway, and back towards the kitchen. As they entered the lobby, they heard a man scream for help from the employee entrance.

The hunters ducked out of sight as Odin, Zao Shen, and another man dragged one of the guests out of the room and forced him on top of the counter. Amy recognized him as the man who had begged Sam for help earlier.

Dean moved to help the man, but Sam stopped him. "It's too late."

The man continued screaming for help as he thrashed around on the counter. Zao Shen brought a clever down, separating the man's head from his body.

The gods put the body and head on a cart and rolled it out of the room, just missing the hunters as they walked right by them.

"That was too close," Dean said, once the coast was clear.

"Yeah," Sam agreed. "Come on, we don't have a lot of time before they return."

They hurried into the kitchen and made their way to the freezer, where more screams could be heard.

"I got it," Amy said quickly. She held out her hand, only to be instantly interrupted by a loud crash on the other side of the room.

She spun around to see that Dean had been thrown into a metal shelving unit by Zao Shen. The god turned to Sam and Amy and grabbed them by the necks with one hand each, pinning both of them to the freezer door.

Amy struggled against the tight grip while Sam did the same next to her. If she could focus for just a second, she might be able to throw something at the god to distract him.

All of a sudden, Dean pulled a wooden stake from his jacket and ran forward. He shoved the stake into Zao Shen's back, and the god flickered before collapsing to the ground dead.

"Where the hell is Gabriel?" Dean asked loudly.

The next second, the kitchen doors burst open and the other two gods from earlier entered. They looked down at Zao Shen's dead body, then grabbed the three hunters roughly and dragged them out.

Sam, Dean, and Amy were dragged back down the hallway and shoved into the ballroom once more. Inside, Gabriel was sitting in a chair as Kali stood over him.

"How long have you known?" Amy heard Gabe ask.

"Long enough," Kali said.

The Winchesters and Amy were pushed into three of the red, velvet chairs. Amy's chair was right next to Gabriel's.

"You okay?" Amy whispered. Gabe gave her a small, not very convincing, nod.

"How's the rescue going?" Dean asked Gabe.

"Well, surprise, surprise," Kali said, addressing the other gods in the room. "The Trickster has tricked us."

"Kali, don't," Gabe begged.

"You're mine now." Kali sat down on the archangel's leg. "And you have something I want." She reached into the inside of his jacket and pulled out Gabriel's archangel blade. "An Archangel's blade. From the Archangel, Gabriel." She stood up and backed away.

"Okay, okay! So I got wings, like Kotex. But that doesn't make me any less right about Lucifer."

Kali shook her head. "He's lying. He's a spy."

"I'm not a spy," Gabe argued. "I'm a runaway."

Kali scoffed.

Gabriel continued. "I'm trying to save you." He leaned forward. "I know my brother, Kali. He should scare the living crap out of you. You can't beat him. I've skipped ahead, seen how this story ends-"

Kali cut the archangel off. "Your story. Not ours. Westerners, I swear. The sheer arrogance. You think you're the only ones on earth? You pillage and you butcher in your God's name. But you're not the only religion, and he's not the only God. And now you think you can just rip the planet apart? You're wrong." Her voice began to break as she leaned forward and lightly touched Gabriel's cheek. "There are billions of us. And we were here first. If anyone gets to end this world it's me. I'm sorry."

Before Amy could process what was happening, Kali shoved the archangel blade into Gabriel's stomach.

"Gabe!" Amy couldn't stop herself from calling out her friend's name. She watched helplessly as Gabe's eyes and mouth flickered with a bright, white light, before collapsing lifelessly in the chair.

Gabriel was dead. Amy felt her breath get caught in her throat as she stared at the archangel's body. He couldn't be dead, he just couldn't.

"This is crazy," Amy heard Mercury say. She couldn't bring herself to take her eyes off of Gabe's body.

"They can die," Kali informed them. "We can kill Lucifer."

Dean stood up. "Alright you primitive screwheads, listen up."

"Are you outta your mind?" Sam muttered.

"I'm outta options," Dean whispered. He turned back to the gods. "Now on any other given day, I'd be doing my damndest to, uh, kill you. You filthy murdering chimps. But, uh, hey, desperate times."

Amy was still looking at Gabe when she saw Dean walk into view as he spoke. She couldn't bring herself to look away, afraid he'd just disappear.

"So even though I'd love nothing better than to slit your throats, you dicks, I'm gonna help you," Dean offered. "I'm going to help you ice the devil." He poured himself a drink. "And then we can all get back to ganking each other, like normal. You want Lucifer, well, dude's not in the Yellow Pages. But me, Sam, and Amy, we can get him here."

"How?" Kali asked.

"First you let those main courses go," Dean ordered. "Then we talk. We can either take on the devil together, or you lame-ass bitches can eat me. Literally."

Kali and Dean glared at each other for a moment.

Finally, Kali turned to Mercury. "Release them," she ordered.

"But-"

"Release them," Kali said firmer.

"Yes, ma'am." Mercury stood up and began walking out of the room.

"I'd like to see them out, if you don't mind," Dean said. It was obvious he didn't trust the god.

"Fine," Kali relented.

Dean began walking towards the exit but stopped by Amy's chair. She felt him pick her up and start walking with her to the doors.

Amy began to protest. "What are you doing?"

Dean walked out of the room and put Amy on the ground. "I saw you in there," he said. "You wouldn't take your eyes off of Gabriel's body. I had to get you out of there, get you focused on something else."

"But-"

"No buts," Dean argued. "You can grieve later, but right now, Sam and I? We need you."

Amy nodded slowly. "Fine," she whispered.

"Good," Dean said. "Now let's go get everyone out of here."

Dean and Amy hurried to the kitchen, arriving just in time for the guests to run out of the kitchen.

"Come on!" Dean called. He ran to the door and pushed it open.

The guests ran out as Dean held the door open for them. Amy followed the crowd, joining Dean outside.

"Come on everybody! Let's go, let's go, let's go, let's go, let's go." As the last guest ran through the door, Dean let it close and followed them through the parking lot. "Alright, alright, go, go, go! Get outta here!"

"Psst! Dean!"

Amy heard the voice from the car. She walked closer and froze. Gabriel was sitting in the backseat with the window down partway.

"Don't look at me!" Gabe hissed. "Act natural. Get in."

Dean and Amy exchanged a quick look, before running to get in the car.

Amy slid into the passenger seat, instantly turning to Gabe when the door closed. "You're alive?"

"There is nothing natural about this at all," Dean told the archangel. "We thought you were dead."

"Yeah," Amy agreed quietly.

Gabriel looked at Amy apologetically, before turning back to Dean. "You think I'd give Kali my real sword? That thing can kill me!"

Dean slowly turned his head back to the hotel before pointing at it. "Then what do they have in there?"

"A fake!" Gabe said proudly. "Made it out of a can of diet orange slice. So, uh, go snag our blood, would ya?"

"What?"

"I heard you in there," Gabe said. "Kali likes you. You can get close. Lift the plasma, then we vamoose."

"What?" Amy asked. "Just leave?"

"No," Dean said coldly. "Hand over the real blade. Better yet, why don't you sack up and help us take down Lucifer."

Gabriel slid closer down the seat. "You can't be serious?"

Dean nodded. "Deadly."

"Since when are you butt buddies with a bunch of monsters?" Gabriel asked. "That's all they are to you, aren't they?"

"Alright, you know, Sam was right," Dean said. "It's nuts, but it's the best idea I've heard, so unless you have a better one?"

Gabe scoffed. "Well, good luck with that. Me? I'm blowing Jonestown. Those lemmings wanna run off a cliff, that's their business."

"I see right through you, you know that?" Dean snapped. "The smart-ass shell, the whole "I could give a crap" thing? Believe me, it takes one to know one."

"That so?"

"Yes," Dean continued. "And maybe those freaks in there aren't your blood but they are your family."

"They just stabbed me in the friggen' heart!" Gabe argued.

Dean lowered his voice. "Maybe, but you still give a crap about 'em, don't you?"

"Dean-"

Dean cut Gabe off. "Now they're gonna die in there, without you."

"I can't kill my brother," Gabe said softly.

"Can't or won't?" There was a long, silent pause. "That's what I thought." Dean turned to Amy. "At least do it for her," he said softly.

Amy looked over at Dean in shock. "What? Why me?"

"Gabriel, man, look, I saw you that time, when she almost died," Dean said. "You looked terrified that something bad was going to happen to her."

Gabe and Amy exchanged a glance. Amy could see a tiny flicker in Gabe's eyes that said what Dean was saying was true.

"Now, I may not be completely accepting of the fact that you two are friends behind Sam's and my back," Dean continued, "but I know you care about her and want to keep her safe. Probably more than you do any other human."

"Gabe?" Amy asked quietly. "Is that true?"

Gabe didn't reply for a moment. Finally, he gave a small nod.

"Then help us," Dean finished. "We need you." He opened the driver's door and stepped out of the car, leaving Amy and Gabriel alone.

As soon as the door was closed, Amy climbed over the bench seat and into the back. She pulled the archangel into a tight hug. "I thought you were dead." She felt tears welling up inside her eyes.

"I know." Gabe hugged the young girl back. "I'm so sorry, Ames. I saw you in there with the fake body. I didn't mean to hurt you."

Amy pulled away from the hug and sniffled. "I'm just glad you're okay." She wiped the tears from her eyes. "Hey, uh, all that stuff Dean was saying, was that true?"

Gabriel smiled. "Later, okay? We gotta get you back inside."

"We?" Amy echoed. "So, you'll help up?"

Gabe nodded. He opened the car door and gestured out. "Shall we?"

Amy chuckled softly as Gabe slid out of the car. She followed him out and he closed the car door.

They headed back towards the hotel and entered the empty lobby.

"Alright," Gabe said. "I need to take care of something first. Get back to the others and I'll meet you there in a bit."

Amy nodded. She gave the archangel another hug before running down the hallway towards the ballroom. Sam, Dean, Kali, and Baldur were in the ballroom when she entered.

Dean turned around as Amy ran through the doors. "Where were you?"

"Talking to Gabe," Amy explained quickly. "He said he'll help us."

The lights in the room began to flicker.

"What's happening?" Baldur asked.

"Nothing good," Amy muttered.

"It's him," Sam said.

"How?" Kali asked.

"Does it matter?" Dean argued. "Shazzam us outta here, would ya?"

"We can't." Baldur walked towards the now open doors, where Lucifer had just entered.

"Of course you can't," Lucifer drawled. "You didn't say 'mother, may I?' Sam, Dean, Amy, good to see you again."

Lucifer looked almost the same as the last time they had seen him, but the face of his vessel had a few scarred patches on it.

Baldur stepped forward as the hunters stepped back.

"Baldur, don't," Kali warned.

Baldur ignored her. "You think you own the planet?" he asked Lucifer. "What gives you the right?" He angrily walked forward, towards Lucifer.

Amy jumped back as Lucifer suddenly jammed his hand clean through Baldur. The devil's bloody hand could be seen through the god's back. He pulled his hand out and threw Baldur's lifeless body to the ground.

Sam, Dean, and Amy ran for cover as Kali's arms began to engulf in flames, but Lucifer seemed unfazed. Kali threw the fire at Lucifer as the hunters ducked behind a table.

As the flames died down, Lucifer still stood there, completely unharmed. He punched Kali with an uppercut, sending her flying through the air.

"Where the hell is Gabriel?" Dean asked frantically.

"I don't know, man." Amy was admittedly beginning to worry a little bit. "He said he had to take care of something first."

Dean groaned in frustration.

"You okay?" Sam asked his brother.

"Not really," Gabriel answered, suddenly appearing next to Dean. "Better late than never, huh?" He handed Dean a copy of Casa Erotica 13. "Guard this, with your life."

Gabe stood up to go face off against his brother, but Amy grabbed his arm, stopping him in his tracks. She knew what was about to happen, for real this time.

He turned back to see a tearful expression on Amy's face, then turned his attention to Sam and Dean. "Keep her safe for me." He gave Amy a final smile, before pulling his arm out of her grasp and walking away.

A few seconds later, there was a loud crash from the other side of the room. The hunters peeked out of their cover to see Lucifer on the ground in front of Gabriel, who stood with his archangel blade in hand.

"Lucy, I'm home," Gabe taunted.

Lucifer stood up and began to walk towards his brother.

Gabriel held up his archangel blade. "Not this time," he warned. He backed up, keeping his eyes on Lucifer, and helped Kali to her feet. "Guys! Get her outta here.""

Amy quickly followed Sam and Dean out of their cover. Gabe shielded them as they walked Kali out of the room.

Knowing she couldn't stay long, Amy gave Gabe one final look before walking through the doors. There was nothing she could do, though.

"Over a girl," Lucifer said as the hunters and Kali left. "Gabriel, really? I mean I knew you were slumming, but I hope you didn't catch anything."

The two archangels' voices faded away as the hunters and Kali hurried down the hall. They pushed open the lobby doors and stepped out into the parking lot.

"I'm not getting in that thing," Kali said, looking at the Impala.

"Just get in the car, princess," Dean snapped.

Sam opened the door for Kali while Amy got into the other side. Kali got into the backseat next to her and, once Sam and Dean were in the front, they drove away from the hotel.

* * *

**March 31st, 2010 - Muncie, Indiana**

They dropped Kali off a few miles from the hotel. She got out of the Impala and walked away without a word.

"You're welcome," Dean muttered as Kali disappeared from view.

"Hey, what was that thing Gabriel gave you?"

Dean reached into the car and pulled out the copy of Casa Erotica 13. "This."

Sam frowned. "He gave you a porno?"

Dean shrugged. "Should we watch it?"

"Now?" Amy asked.

"Why not?"

Sam let out a heavy sigh. "I-fine." Dean handed him the keys and Sam opened the trunk to get his laptop from his bag.

They loaded the DVD into the laptop and set it on top of the Impala. Dean hit play and a red background filled the screen as cheesy porno music played in the background. A warning about how all actors were over eighteen and had consented to this showed at the bottom of the screen, before fading away.

The title card showed up on the screen, and the scene switched to show a woman in lingerie lying down on the bed, writing in a diary.

"Dear Diary," an inner monologue said, "being a high-powered business president is super-fun. But so exhausting. Sometimes, I just need to relax. I need Casa Erotica."

"Okay, listen," Amy said, "you boys watch this all you want but I just...I can't"

"Yeah, okay," Dean said as there was a knock on the door in the film. "That's fine."

Amy walked away from the computer. Sam and Dean stayed by the laptop to continue watching the DVD. She kicked a pebble around near the road while she waited for Sam and Dean. They were on the side of the road, and there weren't any buildings nearby she could duck into for a bit.

"Uh, Ames?" Dean called. "You might want to come see this."

Amy frowned. She walked back over to the Winchesters. "What is it?"

Dean pointed to the screen and Amy looked to see Gabriel standing in the doorway. He was carrying a silver platter and had on a fake mustache and service waiter's outfit.

"What the hell?" Amy asked.

"I've got the kielbasa you ordered," Gabriel said.

"Ooh. Polish?" the woman asked.

"Hungarian." Gabriel threw the dish to the side and lunged forward.

Amy looked away as Gabe was shown on screen passionately kissing the woman.

"What the hell's going on?" Sam asked.

At that moment, Gabriel turned directly to the camera. "Sam, Dean, Amy," he said, speaking directly to them. "You're probably wondering what the hell is going on."

Gabriel took off the fake mustache and tossed it to the side. "Well, if you're watching this, I'm dead."

"No," Amy's voice was small. Maybe he had faked his death again, maybe he was still alive. There was no way he was dead. Not again.

"Oh please!" Gabriel said on screen. "Stop sobbing, it's embarrassing for all of us." He sat down on the bed. "Without me, you've got zero shot at killing Lucifer, sorry! But can trap him."

"Oh, that's right," Amy whispered. "The cage."

"The cage you sprung Lucifer from?" Gabriel continued. "It's still down there. And maybe, just maybe, you can shove his ass back in. Not that it'll be easy. You gotta get the cage open, trick my bro back into it. And uh, oh yeah, avoid Michael and the God Squad. But hey, details, right?" He shrugged. "And here's the big secret, Lucifer himself doesn't even know. The key to the cage? It's out there. Actually, it's keys, plural." He held up four fingers. "Four keys, well, four rings. From the Horsemen. You get 'em all, you got the cage. Can't say I'm betting on you three. But, uh, hey! I've been wrong before."

There was a bit of a pause before Gabe spoke again. "And, uh, Sam, Dean? Do me a favor? Make sure Ames is okay through all of this. You were right, Dean, I did care about her. She was my best friend and my death is really gonna hurt her emotionally. And Dean, you were right. I was afraid to stand up to my brother, not anymore." He stood up from the bed. "So this is me, standing up. And this is, me, lying down."

Amy looked away in disgust as Gabriel spun around and threw himself and the Casa Erotica woman onto the bed. She heard Sam shut his laptop, and looked back up.

"Horsemen, huh?" Dean asked. "Well we got War's, we nicked Famine's." He held up two fingers. "That's two down. Collect all four? All we need is Pestilence and Death."

Sam scoffed. "Oh, is that all?"

"It's a plan."

"It'll work," Amy said quietly. "I know it will."

Sam nodded. He grabbed his laptop and the hunters got into the Impala. Dean started the engine, and they drove off.


End file.
